E 

151 
C3 


Historical  Society's 


.*  CENTENNIAL  MEMORIAL. 


JOURNAL 


CharMCarroll  of  Carrollton, 


^ 


During  his  Visit  to  Canada  in 


1776. 


MEMORIAL  CONTRIBUTION 


FROM     THE 


Maryland  Historical  Society, 


TO     THE 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 


OF    THE 


OF     TH  E 


UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA, 
JULY  4TH,   1876. 


JOURNAL 


Charles  (Jarroll  of  Carrollton 


DURING     HIS 


Visit  to  Canada  in  1776, 


As  ONE  OF  THE  COMMISSIONERS  FEOM  CONGRESS; 


WITH  A  MEMOIR  AND  NOTES. 


BY  BRANTZ  MAYER. 


PRINTED  BY  JOHN  MURPHY, 
FOB  THE  MARYLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY, 

BALTIMORE,  MAY,  1876. 


C 


The  Maryland  Historical  Society  wishing  to  bring  a  proper 
offering  to  the  first  Centennial  Celebration  of  our  National  Inde- 
dendence,  resolved,  for  that  purpose,  to  reprint  a  Journal  of 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  of  Maryland,  signer  of  the  Decla 
ration  of  Independence.  The  original  manuscript  of  this  record 
is  kept  in  the  Archives  of  the  Society  as  a  precious  gift  from 
the  descendants  of  its  illustrious  author. 

The  Journal  was  written  by  Mr.  Carroll,  in  1776,  during  a 
journey  to  Canada  with  Benjamin  Franklin  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  Samuel  Chase  of  Maryland,  members  of  Congress,  and,— 
jointly  with  Mr.  Carroll, — its  delegated  Commissioners  to  try 
the  feeling,  and,  if  possible,  to  stir  up  the  Canadians.  By  the 
request  of  Congress  the  Reverend  John  Carroll,  cousin  of 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  and  afterwards,  the  first  Roman 
Catholic  Archbishop  of  the  United  States,  accompanied  these 
gentlemen  on  their  grave  and  delicate  errand. 

The  undersigned  were  named  by  the  Society  to  carry  out  its 
wishes ;  and  with  great  respect,  they  offer  this  book  as  a  patriotic 
memorial — showing  that,  at  the  end  of  one  hundred  years  of 
National  life,  Maryland  is  loyal  to  the  men  and  memories  of  1776. 

BRANTZ  MAYER, 
WILLIAM  H.  CORNER, 
JOHN  J.  JACOBSEN, 

Committee  of  the  Maryland  Historical  Society. 
BALTIMORE,  Maryland,  1  May,  1876. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR 


UPON    THE 


EXPEDITION  TO  CANADA 


1775—1776. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THAT  long  line  of  lakes  and  rivers  which  flow 
soutlieastwardly  across  our  continent,  and 
empty  into  the  Atlantic  through  the  gulf  of 
Saint  Lawrence,  seems  to  form  a  natural  barrier 
between  two  nations,  marking  their  geographical 
limits  if  it  did  not  also  bound  different  races. 
And  such,  in  fact,  was  really  the  case  with  a  part 
of  this  extensive  chain,  until  the  peace  of  Paris  in 
1763,  when  Canada,  after  the  victory  of  Wolfe, 
passed  from  the  dominion  of  France  to  that  of  the 
British  crown. 

In  March,   1766,  the   stamp  act  was   repealed; 
but  the  English  ministry,  foiled  in  its  first  attempt 
2  9 


10  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

on  the  liberties  of  the  American  colonies,  seemed 
determined  to  tease  and  worry  them  into  rebel 
lion.  Taxation  by  duties  was  laid  in  1767,  and 
Maryland  at  onco  took  ground  against  the  imposi 
tion.  Associations  for  "non  importation"  were 
speedily  formed;  but,  after  existing  for  a  while, 
they  were  abandoned,  and  local  discontents  arose 
in  our  state  that  exasperated  the  people's  feelings 
against  Ministerial  oppressions,  until  they  were 
ripe  for  the  revolt  that  ultimately  broke  out.1 

Amongst  the  earliest  demonstrations  of  a  dis- 
'pbsitio.n'  ,<>sV;tlie  part  of  the  colonists  to  resort  to 
violence.,,  wa.s  .the  attack  upon  the  newly  ceded 


The  expedition  that  was  sent  to  the  north  was 
deemed,  by  some  persons,  of  questionable  policy, 
and  not  a  few  of  our  people  thought  it  entirely 
subversive  of  the  principles  upon  which  we 
grounded  our  resistance.  It  might  naturally, 
they  alleged,  be  regarded  as  a  war  of  conquest, 
and,  as  such,  was  entirely  at  variance  with  the 
spirit  of  our  discontent. 

Such,  however,  was  not  a  just  view  of  the  case. 
The  boundary  of  the  lakes  to  which  we  have 
alluded,  formed,  in  reality,  no  boundary  to  British 
rule,  for  the  sway  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  was 
now  fully  established  over  the  whole  of  the  north- 

1  Soc  McMahon's  History  of  Maryland,  vol.  i,  p.  380. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  11 

crn  part  of  the  continent.  It  was  obviously 
proper,  therefore,  to  detract,  if  possible,  from  the 
power  of  our  assailants  to  harm  us  on  the  great 
watery  highway  of  the  lakes  and  rivers,  or  to 
present  such  an  united  force  of  colonial  and  pro 
vincial  inhabitants  as  might  counterbalance,  in 
a  great  measure,  the  pertinacious  loyalists  who 
were  disposed  to  discountenance  our  appeals  for 
justice.  For  it  will  be  remembered,  that  before 
the  declaration  of  our  national  independence,  the 
warfare  was  neither  against  the  throne  nor  the 
laws  of  England,  but  against  a  reckless  and  op 
pressive  ministry.1 

In  taking  advantage,  therefore,  of  this  general 
desire  to  enlist  the  whole  of  the  British  subjects 
in  America  in  the  preservation  of  their  privileges, 
efforts  were  justly  and  fairly  made  to  obtain 
possession  of  the  keys  of  the  lakes  and  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  at  Quebec  and  Montreal. 

As  Sir  Guy  Carleton  had  manifested  a  strong- 
disposition  to  sustain  the  ministry  against  the 
people,  it  was  hoped  that  his  efforts  would  thus 
be  neutralized,  and  an  unbroken  front  of  firm  and 
resisting  freemen  presented  to  the  cabinet  and 
parliament. 

Canada  was  a  province  whose  citizens  had  not 
yet  coalesced  with  the  English.  In  the  debate  on 

l  See  Col.  Kecd's   letter  to  Washington,  and  Washington's   reply. — 
Washington's  Writings,  vol.  iii,  p.  3-17. 


12  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

the  Canada  bill,  in  1774,  the  widest  latitude  of 
opinion  was  expressed  as  to  the  proper  govern 
ment  and  laws  for  the  conquered  province,  and 
the  most  lamentable  ignorance  was  displayed  as 
to  the  character  and  temper  of  the  people.1 

Under  the  French  the  spirit  of  the  government 
had  been  military.  Conquest  was  the  chief  object, 
and  the  desire  of  the  authorities  was  to  command 
the  lakes,  to  control  the  territories  on  the  Ohio, 
and  thus,  descending  the  Mississippi  to  Louisiana, 
to  embrace  the  great  internal  resources  of  this 
continent  by  two  gigantic  arms,  one  of  which 
should  rest  on  the  St.  Lawrence  whilst  the  other 
controlled  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Canada,  therefore, 
was  the  citadel  and  nursery  of  their  troops.  Large 
detachments  were  sent  every  year  to  the  Ohio  and 
to  other  interior  parts  of  North  America,  and,  by 
these  annual  campaigns,  the  province  was  drained 
of  its  blood  and  energy.  The  people  had  no  time 
for  settlement  and  its  peaceful  results.  Marriages 
were  prevented,  and  numbers  perished  in  the  toil 
some  services  to  which  they  were  devoted  among 
the  savages  of  the  remote  wilderness.  But,  after 
the  conquest  by  Great  Britain,  the  aspect  of  affairs 
was  changed.  The  government  became  one  of 
peace,  and  the  inhabitants — not  greatly  augmented 
in  numbers  by  emigration  —  were  permitted  to 

1  Sec  Cavendish's  Debates  on  the  Canada  bill  in  1774. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  13 

cultivate  tlicir  lands,  whilst  the  judges  took  care 
not  to  interfere  essentially  with  their  laws  and 
customs.1  Besides  this,  the  policy  Pof  England 
towards  Canada  was  wise  in  another  respect.  In 
October,  1763,  a  royal  proclamation  was  made,  by 
which  the  province  of  Quebec  was  limited  and 
bounded;  and  on  the  13th  of  June,  1774,  parlia 
ment  passed  the  "Quebec  act,"  by  which  those 
limits  were  enlarged,  and  his  majesty's  subjects 
professing  the  religion  of  the  church  of  Rome, 
were  guarantied  the  free  exercise  of  their  worship, 
whilst  their  priests  were  protected  in  the  full  dis 
charge  of  all  their  functions. 

Thus  Canada,  though  a  quasi  foreign  country, 
was  a  contented  one,  and  it  behooved  our  states 
men  to  take  heed  lest  her  people,  still  alive  to 
their  ancient  military  glory,  might  annoy  or  dis 
tract  our  frontier.  The  warfare,  therefore,  that  we 
waged  within  her  borders,  was  one,  in  fact,  of 
political  propagandism,  in  Avhich  the  people,  un 
fortunately  for  themselves  as  the  sequel  proved, 
took  but  little  interest. 

We  will  not  dwell  on  the  successes  of  our  troops 
in  Canada  up  to  the  spring  of  1776.  So  many 
Avorks  have  been  written  on  the  history  of  that 
period  and  on  the  biography  of  the  eminent  men 
who  led  our  armies,  that  it  would  be  useless,  in 

i  See  "  Debate.,, ;'  &c.,  pp.  104,  105. 


14  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

this  sketch,  to  review  the  earlier  part  of  our  cam 
paign. 

But  after  the  successes  of  Arnold  and  Allen  at 
Ticoncleroga  and  Crown  Point,  the  former  of  these 
officers  pushed  on  towards  Quebec  through  the 
wilderness.  By  the  capture  of  a  small  fleet  at 
Sorel,  under  General  Prescott,  the  Americans  had 
gained  command  of  the  St.  Lawrence  above  Que 
bec,  and,  as  all  the  British  posts  in  Canada  were 
under  our  control,  except  the  capital,  that  now 
became  the  object  of  eager  enterprise.1 

On  the  31st  of  December,  177o,  Montgomery 
stormed  that  stronghold,  and  fell  in  the  attack. 
Our  troops  were  unsuccessful  in  effecting  a  lodg 
ment;  but  Arnold,  on  whom  the  command  de 
volved,  sat  down  resolutely  before  the  capital,  in 
the  depth  of  winter,  and  with  the  small  remnant 
of  his  troops  besieged  a  Ministerial  army  of  nearly 
double  his  number. 

Reinforcements  were  sent  to  our  colonial  general, 
who  had  been  immediately  promoted  for  his  gal 
lantry,  and  troops  that  carried  their  own  provisions 
during  a  perilous  march  on  snow  shoes,  through 
the  forests,  reached  him  from  Vermont,  Xew 
Hampshire,  and  Massachusetts. 

With  this  fragmentary,  undisciplined,  ill-fed, 
and  miserable  array,  he  kept  his  ground  until 

1  See  Spurks's  Life  of  Arnold. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  lo 

spring.  Meanwhile,  Wooster  had  quietly  rested 
during  the  long  and  severe  winter,  in  the  secure 
and  undisputed  Montreal.  "A  state  of  repose," 
says  Mr.  Sparks,  "which  his  countrymen  were  not 
prepared  to  expect  from  a  man  who  had  gained  the 
reputation  of  a  bold  and  active  officer  in  the  last 


war."1 


However,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1776,  he  left  his 
winter  quarters  for  Quebec,  and,  as  he  outranked 
Arnold,  took  command  immediately  on  his  arrival. 
Arnold,  who  wTas  no  doubt  discontented  at  not 
being  permitted  to  continue  in  authority  at  a  sea 
son  when  he  might  have  struck  a  daring  and 
effectual  MOAV,  forthwith  departed  for  Montreal, 
and  left  this  weak  and  injudicious  officer  to  con 
duct  the  siege.2 

Canada  was  thus,  in  fact,  in  the  possession  of  our 
colonial  troops,  yet  the  tenure  was  rather  nominal 
than  real.  It  was  a  conflict  between  the  military  on 
both  sides,  whilst  the  people  of  the  province — the 
subject  matter  of  all  available  controversy — had  as 
yet  manifested  no  ardent  desire  to  join  us. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  early  in  the  memo 
rable  year  of  76.  But  the  feeble  grasp  with  which 
we  held  that  remote  provinco  was  not  long  to  be 
continued.  On  the  first  of  April,  Col.  Ilazen,  who 


1  See  Sparks's  Life  of  Arnold,  p.  55. 

2  See  Mr.  Carroll's  Journal,  of  the  2oth  of  May,  and  note,  for  the 
Commissioners'  opinion  of  Woostcr's  conduct  in  Canada. 


lf>  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

had  taken  command  at  Montreal,  on  the  departure 
of  General  Woostcr,  and  before  the  arrival  of 
Arnold,  thus  wrote  to  General  Schuyler: 

"You  are  not  unacquainted  with  the  friendly 
disposition  of  the  Canadians  when  General  Mont 
gomery  first  penetrated  into  the  country.  The 
ready  assistance  they  gave  on  all  occasions,  by 
men,  carriages,  or  provisions,  was  most  remark 
able.  Even  when  he  was  before  Quebec,  many 
parishes  offered  their  services  in  the  reduction  of 
that  fortress,  which  were  at  that  time  thought 
unnecessary.  But  his  most  unfortunate  fate,  added 
to  other  incidents,  has  caused  such  a  change  in 
their  disposition,  that  we  no  longer  look  upon 
them  as  friends,  but,  on  the  contrary,  as  waiting 
an  opportunity  to  join  our  enemies.  That  no 
observations  of  my  own  may  remain  obscure,  I 
beg  leave  to  observe  that  I  think  the  clergy,  or 
guardians  of  the  souls  and  conductors  of  the  bodies 
of  these  enthusiasts,  haA^e  been  neglected,  perhaps, 
in  some  instances,  ill  used.  Be  that  as  it  will,  they 
are  unanimous,  though  privately,  against  our  cause, 
and  I  have  too  much  reason  to  fear  that  many  of 
them,  with  other  people  of  some  consequence,  have 
carried  on  a  correspondence  the  whole  winter  with 
General  Carleton  in  Quebec,  and  arc  now  plotting 
our  destruction.  The  peasantry  in  general  have 
been  ill  used.  They  have,  in  some  instances,  been 
dragooned  with  the  point  of  the  bayonet  to  supply 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  17 

wood  for  the  garrison  at  a  lower  rate  than  the 
current  price.  For  carriages  and  many  other 
articles  furnished,  illegible  certificates  have  been 
given  without  signature;  the  one-half,  of  conse 
quence,  rejected  by  the  quartermaster-general.  It 
is  true,  payment  has  been  promised  from  time  to 
time;  yet  they  look  upon  such  promises  as  vague, 
their  labor  and  property  lost,  and  the  congress  or 
United  Colonies  bankrupt.  And,  in  a  more  mate 
rial  point,  they  have  not  seen  sufficient  force  in  the 
country  to  protect  them.  These  matters  furnish 
very  strong  arguments  to  be  made  use  of  by  our 
enemies.  With  respect  to  the  better  sort  of  people, 
both  French  and  English,  seven-eighths  arc  tories, 
who  would  wish  to  see  our  throats  cut,  and  perhaps 
would  readily  assist  in  doing  it, 

"You  may  remember,  sir,  in  a  conversation  with 
you  at  Albany,  I  urged  the  necessity  of  sending 
immediately  to  Canada  able  generals,  a  respectable 
army,  a  committee  of  congress,  a  suitable  supply  of 
hard  cash,  and  a  printer.  Indeed,  I  had  before 
represented  those  measures  in  person  to  congress, 
at  least,  to  the  committee  of  congress,  and  we  have 
since  been  flattered,  from  time  to  time,  that  we 
should  have  one  or  all  of  these  essentials."1 

The  commissioners,  alluded  to  by  Colonel  Hazen, 
had  already  been  appointed  by  congress;  and,  on 

1  See  Washington's  Writings,  vol,  iii,  p.  301,  note. 

3 


18  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

the  day  subsequent  to  the  date  of  his  letter,  had 
departed  from  the  city  of  New  York  on  their  way 
to  Montreal. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  76,  it  was  "Resolved 
that  a  committee  of  three — two  of  whom  to  be 
members  of  congress — be  appointed  to  repair  to 
Canada,  there  to  pursue  such  instructions  as  shall 
be  given  them  by  that  bodv."1 

O  f  *> 

Dr.  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN,  SAMUEL  CHASE,  and 
CHAS.  CARROLL  of  Carrollton,2  were  chosen  for 
this  purpose  (the  two  first  named  being  members), 
and,  by  a  special  resolution,  the  last  mentioned 
gentleman  was  desired  "to  prevail  on  Mr.  JOHN 
CARROLL  to  accompany  the  committee  to  Canada 
to  assist  them  in  such  matters  as  they  shall  think 
useful." 

This  gentleman,  who  afterwards  became  the  first 
Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  the  United  States, 
had  already  received  holy  orders  in  Europe.  He 
was  a  Jesuit  of  distinguished  theological  attain 
ments,  and  was  celebrated  for  his  amiable  manners 
and  polished  address.  Both  of  the  Carrolls  were 
educated  in  Europe,  and  had  formed  connections  of 
the  most  intimate  kind  with  the  people  of  the  old 
world.  The  Rev.  John  Carroll  had  been  private 

1  See  Journals  of  Congress,  vol.  ii,  p.  02,  edition  of  1800. 

2  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Congress 
by  the  Maryland  Convention  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  and  took  his  seat 
on  the  18th.     Ho  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence  on  the  12th  of 
August,  1770. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  19 

tutor  in  the  family  of  Lord  Stourton,  with  whom 
he  made  the  tour  of  Europe  after  the  dissolution  of 
the  Jesuits,  and  might,  therefore,  have  been  sup 
posed  to  lean  to  the  side  of  loyalty;  but  all  the 
members  of  his  family  had  early  manifested  their 
partiality  for  the  colonies.  Mr.  Charles  Carroll  of 
of  Carrollton,  also  a  Roman  Catholic,  after  finish 
ing  his  studies  in  the  Temple  and  returning  to 
Maryland,  had  distinguished  himself  by  his  con 
troversy  with  DAXIEL  DULAXY,  the  great  legal 
luminary  of  Maryland,  on  the  proclamation  and 
vestry  questions,1  and  had  intimated  his  resolution 
to  sustain  his  native  land  against  the  oppressions 
of  the  mother  country.  The  one  was  an  humble 
but  learned  clergyman;  the  other  an  independent 
lawyer  of  ample  fortune  and  promising  talents; 
but  both  staked,  at  once,  their  lives  and  honor  on 
the  issues  of  the  day,  and  were  thus  prepared  to 
take  conspicuous  parts  in  the  approaching  revo 
lution. 

Whilst  congress  was  anxious  to  aid  the  cool 
judgment  of  Franklin  by  the  intrepidity  of  Chase 
and  the  courtly  address  of  Carroll,  it  went  still 
further,  and  requested  the  polished  churchman  to 
unite  himself  with  the  expedition,  "and  assist  the 
commissioners  in  such  things  as  they  might  think 
useful."  The  object  of  this,  although  not  entered 

i  Sec   McMahon's   History  of  Maryland,  vol.  i.  p.  388,  and   Green's 
Gazette,  1773. 


20  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

on  the  journals  of  congress  or  expressed  in  any 
formal  preamble  to  the  resolutions,  is  perfectly 
evident.  In  the  debates  on  the  Canada  bill,  in 
1774,  we  are  informed  that  there  were  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  thousand  Catholics,  and  only  three 
hundred  and  sixty  Protestants  within  the  govern 
ment  of  the  province  of  Quebec,1  and  it  was 
therefore  believed  that  one  of  the  surest  means 
of  prompt  success  with  such  a  mass  of  Roman 
Catholics,  was  to  show  them,  by  influential  men 
of  their  own  creed,  that  their  brethren  over  the 
border,  were  up  in  arms  and  ready  to  do  battle 
in  defence  of  religious  and  political  liberty.  Three 
of  these  representatives  came  from  a  province  ori 
ginally  founded  by  tolerant  Catholics,  who  had 
received  a  tolerant  charter  even  from  a  bigoted 
king.2 

We  have  seen  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  was  an 
undoubted  patriot,  agreeing  with  the  liberals  in  all 
their  views;  yet  it  might  be  asserted  that  he  was 

1  Sec  Debates,  &c.,  p.  103. 

2  We  hold  the  opinion  that  no  act  could  have  been  legally  passed  by 
our  colonial  legislature  in  Maryland,  in  conformity  with  the  charter  of 
Charles,  that  was  not  TOLERANT  in  its  character  to  all  religionists.     Our 
opinion  is  founded  on  a  clause  in  the  twenty-second  section  of  that  instru 
ment,  which  declares  that  the  charter  shall  be  expounded  always  in  the 
most  favorable  and  beneficial  manner  for  the  benefit  of  Lord  Baltimore, 
his  heirs  and  assigns, — "  Proviso  semper  quod  nulla  fiat  intcrpretatio  per 
quam   sacro-sancta  Dei  ct   vera  Christiana  reliyio  aut  Ligeantia  nobis 
hseredibus  et  successoribus  nostris  debita  immutatione  prejudicio  vel  clis- 
pendio  in  aliquo  patiantur  eo  quod  expressa  mentis, ';  &c. 

Broad  Christianity  alone  is  here  referred  to,  and  that  was  not  to  suffer 
by  "change,  prejudice,  or  diminution." 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  21 

not  justified  in  joining  an  expedition  that  would 
kindle  the  flame  of  religious  war  on  the  Catholic 
frontier.  Such,  certainly,  was  also  Mr.  Carroll's 
opinion,  and  he  felt,  as  deeply  as  any  man  in 
the  colonies  that  religion  should  never  become  an 
auxiliary  of  strife,  and  that  it  was  his  duty,  as  a 
clergyman,  to  allay,  if  possible,  the  angry  spirit  of 
the  times  and  to  prevail  on  the  disaffected  subjects 
of  Britain  to  maintain  their  allegiance  by  present 
ing  a  bold  front  to  Ministerial  misrule. 

In  order,  therefore,  to  estimate  the  delicacy  of 
Mr.  Carroll's  position,  we  must  recollect  that  at 
the  period  when  congress  required  his  services,  the 
prospect  of  reconciliation  with  the  king  was  not 
entirely  shut  out.  Appeals,  protests,  and  remon 
strances  had  been  tried  in  vain.  All  the  ordinary 
efforts  of  persuasion  had  failed  to  produce  redress. 
In  such  a  state  of  things  it  would  seem  but  reason 
able  that  a  patriotic  priest,  who  regarded  his  duty 
to  his  country  as  next  to  that  he  owed  to  God,  and 
who  was  zealous  for  the  religious  as  well  as  the 
political  freedom  of  his  brethren,  should  seize  upon 
so  favorable  an  occasion  to  render  service  of  last 
ing  value  to  the  large,  conquered  mass  of  Canadian 
Catholics.  lie  was,  perhaps,  about  to  obtain  a 
boon  for  himself;  he  desired  that  others  should 
participate  in  its  benefits.  And  he  naturally  felt 
anxious  that,  when  civil  and  religious  liberty  were 
for  ever  secured  to  the  colonies,  the  subjects  north 


22  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

of  the  lakes  should,  at  the  same  time,  obtain   a 
permanent  concession  of  fair  and  equal  laws. 

Mr.  Carroll  was,  therefore,  very  properly  desir 
ous  to  identify  Canada  with  our  struggle  or  to 
procure  her  neutrality;  as,  from  her  imposing  size, 
her  commanding  geographical  position,  her  foreign 
population,  and  her  recent  disruption  from  France, 
— her  resolved  attitude  of  defiance  or  indifference 
would,  in  all  probability,  strike  terror  into  the 
minds  of  the  headstrong  Ministry;  and  thus,  by 
opposing  the  formidable  animosity  of  a  United 
Continent,  we  should  gain  our  ends  and  nip  the 
war  in  its  ripening  bud.1  Mr.  Carroll's  views, 
therefore,  were  eminently  pacific,  and  their  wis 
dom  has  since  been  fully  proved.  The  colonies 
obtained  their  independence,  whilst  Canada  re 
mains  a  discontented,  refractory  province  of  the 
British  empire.2 


1  See  the  Baltimore  U.  S.  Catholic  Magazine,  vol.  iv,  page  251,  and 
Brent's  Biography  of  Archbishop  Carroll,  p.  09. 

2  One  of  the  writer's   earliest   recollections  is  of  the  funeral  of  this 
excellent  prelate,  which  was  celebrated  with  great  pomp  at  Baltimore,  in 
1815,  and  attended  by  citizens  of  all  Christian  denominations.     The  loss 
of  Archbishop  Carroll  was  not  a  loss  alone  to  the  church  over  which  he 
presided  and  which  he  may  be  said  to  have  founded  in  the  United  States. 
Men  of  all  creeds  loved  him,  for  his  life  had  been  ono  of  tolerance,  charity, 
and  affection.     His  career,  as  priest  and  prelate,  had  boen  conceived  in 
that  spirit  of  Christian  moderation  which,  whilst  it  upheld  firmly  the 
truth  and  efficacy  of  his  own  creed,  still  regarded  the  professors  of  other 
forms  as  entitled  to  a  liberal  and  unbigoted  consideration.     This  good 
bishop,  who  was  long  mourned,  and  will  be  long  remembered  by  Mary- 
landers,  died  in  this  city,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  on  the  3d  of  December, 
1315. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  23 

It  is  worthy  of  special  note  that  Dr.  Franklin, 
who  now,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy,  was  sent 
on  this  fatiguing  journey  to  wrest  Canada  from 
England  or  neutralize  it,  had  been  seventeen  years 
before,  one  of  the  first  to  urge  its  conquest  upon 
the  mother  country.  When  he  was  in  London  in 
1759,  although  he  had  no  interviews  with  the 
minister,  his  conversation  on  American  affairs 
was  always  respectfully  heeded  by  men  in  power, 
and  "it  has  been  said  on  good  authority,"  declares 
Mr.  Sparks,  "that  the  expedition  against  Canada, 
and  its  consequences  in  the  victory  of  Wolfe  at 
Quebec  and  the  conquest  of  that  country,  may  be 
chiefly  ascribed  to  Franklin.  He  disapproved  the 
policy,  by  which  the  ministry  had  hitherto  been 
guided,  of  carrying  on  the  war  against  the  French 
in  the  heart  of  Germany,  where,  if  successful,  it 
would  end  in  no  real  gain  to  the  British  nation, 
and  no  essential  loss  to  the  enemy.  In  all  compa 
nies  and  on  all  occasions,  he  urged  the  reduction 
of  Canada  as  an  object  of  the  utmost  importance. 
It  would  inflict  a  blow  upon  the  French  power  in 
America  from  which  it  could  never  recover,  and 
which  would  have  a  lasting  influence  in  advanc 
ing  the  prosperity  of  the  British  Colonies.  These 
sentiments  he  conveyed  to  the  minister's  friends, 
with  such  remarks  on  the  practicability  of  the 
enterprise,  and  the  manner  of  conducting  it,  as 
his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  state  of  things 


24  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

in  America  enabled  him  to  communicate.  They 
made  the  impression  he  desired,  and  the  result 
verified  his  prediction."1 

The  same  ripe  judgment  that  discerned  the  im 
portance  of  Canada  for  England,  in  order  to  give 
her  control  over  the  lakes  and  the  west,  adopted 
it  for  the  colonies  also,  and  thus  Franklin  was 
discreetly  selected  for  this  responsible  mission. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ON  the  2d  of  April,  1776,  FRANKLIN,  CHASE, 
and  the  Carrolls,  properly  equipped  for  so  fatigu 
ing  a  journey  of  more  than  four  hundred  miles, 
departed  from  the  city  of  JNTew  York  in  a  sloop 
for  Albany. 

These  gentlemen  had,  of  course,  been  duly  com 
missioned  by  congress  "to  promote  or  to  form  a 
union  between  the  colonies  and  the  people  of 
Canada;"  and  on  the  20th  of  March,  they  re 
ceived  their  ample  instructions. 

They  were  told  to  represent  to  the  Canadians 
that  the  arms  of  the  United  Colonies  had  been 
carried  into  that  province  for  the  purpose  of  frus- 


pnrks's  "Writing?,  vol.  i,  pp.  248,  257. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  2o 

trating  the  designs  of  tlie  British  court  against 
our  common  liberties;  that  we  expected  not  only 
to  defeat  the  hostile  machinations  of  Governor 
Carleton  against  us,  but  that  we  should  put  it 
in  the  power  of  our  Canadian  brethren  to  pursue 
such  measures  for  securing  their  own  freedom 
and  happiness  as  a  generous  love  of  liberty  and 
sound  policy  should  dictate  to  them. 

They  were  desired  to  inform  them  that,  in  the 
judgment  of  congress,  their  interest  and  that  of 
the  colonies  were  inseparably  united.  That  it  was 
impossible  we  could  be  reduced  to  a  servile  sub 
mission  to  Great  Britain  without  their  sharing  in 
our  fate;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  if  we  obtained, 
as  we  doubted  not  we  should,  a  full  establishment 
of  our  rights,  it  depended  wholly  on  their  choice, 
whether  they  would  participate  with  us  in  those 
blessings,  or  still  remain  subject  to  every  act  of 
tyranny  which  British  ministers  should  please  to 
exercise  over  them. 

They  were  told  to  urge  all  such  arguments  as 
their  prudence  suggested  to  enforce  our  opinion 
concerning  the  mutual  interests  of  the  two  coun 
tries,  and  to  convince  them  of  the  impossibility 
of  the  Avar  being  concluded  to  the  disadvantage 
of  the  colonies,  if  we  Avisely  and  vigorously  co 
operated  with  each  other.  To  convince  them  of 
the  uprightness  of  our  intentions  towards  them, 
they  were  to  declare  that  it  was  the  inclination 
4 


26  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

of  congress  that  the  people  of  Canada  should  set 
up  such  a  form  of  government  as  would  be  most 
likely,  in  their  judgment,  to  promote  their  happi 
ness.  And  they  were,  in  the  strongest  terms,  to 
assure  them  that  it  was  our  earnest  desire  to  adopt 
them  into  our  union  as  a  sister  colony,  and  to 
secure  the  same  system  of  mild  and  equal  laws 
for  them  and  for  ourselves,  with  only  such  local 
differences  as  might  be  agreeable  to  each  colony 
respectively. 

They  were  to  assure  the  Canadians  that  we  had 
no  apprehension  that  the  French  would  take  any  part 
with  Great  Britain;  hit  that  it  was  their  interest,  and, 
we  had  reason  to  'believe,  their  inclination,  to  cultivate  a 
friendly  intercourse  with  these  colonies. 

From  this  and  such  other  reasons  as  might 
appear  most  proper,  they  were  charged  to  urge 
the  necessity  the  people  were  under  of  immedi 
ately  taking  some  decisive  step  to  put  themselves 
within  the  protection  of  the  United  Colonies.  For 
expediting  such  a  measure,  they  were  to  explain 
our  method  of  collecting  the  sense  of  the  people 
and  conducting  our  affairs  regularly  by  committees 
of  observation  and  inspection  in  the  several  dis 
tricts,  and  by  conventions  and  committees  of  safety 
in  the  several  colonies.  These  modes  were  to  be 
recommended  to  them.  The  nature  and  principles 
of  government  among  freemen  were  to  be  fully 
explained,  developing,  in  contrast  to  these,  the 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  27 

base,  cruel,  and  insidious  designs  involved  in  the 
late  act  of  parliament  for  making  a  more  effectual 
provision  for  the  government  of  the  province  of 
Quebec.1  Motives  of  glory  and  interest  were  to 
bo  proposed  as  stimulants  to  the  Canadians  to 
unite  in  a  contest  by  which  they  must  be  deeply 
affected,  and  they  were  to  be  taught  to  aspire  to  a 
portion  of  that  power  ly  which  then  were  ruled,  and 
not  to  remain  the  mere  spoils  and  prey  of  their  con 
querors, 

They  were  directed,  further,  to  declare  that  we 
held  sacred  the  rights  of  conscience;  and  should  promise 
to  the  whole  people,  solemnly,  in  the  name  of  congress, 
the  free  and  undisturbed  exercise  of  their  religion;  and 
to  the  clcrcjy  the  fall,  perfect,  and  peaceable  possession 
and  enjoyment  of  all  their  estates: — that  the  govern 
ment  of  every  thing  relative  to  their  creed  and  clergy 
should  be  left,  entirely,  in  the  hands  of  the  good  people 
of  that  province,  and  such  legislature  as  they  should 
constitute;  provided,  however,  that  all  other  denomina 
tions  of  Christians  should  be  equally  entitled  to  hold 
offices,  and  enjoy  civil  privileges  and  the  free  exercise 
of  their  religion,  as  well  as  be  totally  exempt  from  the 
payment  of  any  tithes  or  taxes  for  the  support  of  ve 
il  (j  ion. 

They  were  desired  to  press  for  a  convention  of 
the  people,  a  speedy  organization  of  government, 

1  The  :i Quebec  act,"  passed  June,  1774. 


28  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

and  union  with  the  colonies.  The  terms  of  the 
union  should  be  similar  to  those  of  the  other 
colonies;  and,  if  our  terms  were  acceded  to,  they 
were  to  promise  our  defence  of  the  Canadians 
against  all  enemies. 

<*—; 

A  free  press  was  to  be  established,  and  the  com 
missioners  were  to  settle  all  disputes  betwixt  the 
Canadians  and  continental  troops.  They  were  to 
reform  all  abuses,  to  enforce  peace  and  good  order, 
and  were  empowered  to  sit  and  vote  in  councils  of 
Avar;  to  erect  or  demolish  fortifications,  and  to 
suspend  military  officers  from  the  exercise  of  their 
commissions  until  the  pleasure  of  congress  should 
be  known. 

In  additional  instructions,  they  were  empowered 
and  directed  to  encourage  the  trade  of  Canada  witli 
the  Indians,  and  to  assure  the  Canadians  that  their 
foreign  commerce  should  be  put  on  the  same  footing 
as  that  of  the  United  Colonies.1 

Armed  with  their  commission  and  these  instruc 
tions,  our  travellers  departed,  as  we  have  seen,  on 
the  2d  of  April,  from  the  city  of  Xew  York;  but  it 
was  not  until  the  29th — nearly  a  month  afterwards 
—that  they  reached  their  destination  at  Montreal. 
The  details  of  this  expedition  will  be  found  in  the 
accompanying  diary  of  Mr.  Carroll  of  Carrollton, 
and  the  reader  can  not  fail  to  be  pleased  with 

1  See  these  instructions  at  large  in  the  Amer.  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  411. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  29 

the  patient  and  interesting  narrative  of  the  jour 
nalist. 

It  seems  from  this  document,  and  the  corres 
pondence  of  Franklin,  that  the  Doctor  remained 
in  Montreal  until  the  llth  of  May, — a  few  days 
only  after  the  abandonment  of  Quebec  by  our 
troops,  —  and  was  joined,  on  the  following  morn 
ing,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Carroll  at  St.  Johns. 
Dr.  Franklin's  health  had  suffered  greatly  by  the 
journey,  and  he  soon  perceived  that  his  efforts  in 
Canada  would  bo  of  no  avail.  On  the  contrary, 
he  saw  that  public  opinion  was  setting  strongly 
against  the  colonies,  that  the  army  was  in  a 
wretched  condition,  that  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  was  lost,  and  that  powerful  reinforce 
ments  would  probably  soon  arrive  from  abroad. 
He  therefore  left  Canada  to  younger  and  more 
hopeful  men,  and  departed  with  his  clerical  friend, 
who  had  been  equally  unsuccessful. 

The  object  of  this  mission  was  doubtless  tAvo- 
folcl:  first,  to  induce  the  Catholics  to  join  us,  or 
remain  neutral;  and  secondly,  to  make  such 
military  demonstrations  as  would  secure  us  the 
province  in  spite  of  its  people.  To  the  first  of 
these  objects  the  llev.  Mr.  Carroll  immediately 
addressed  himself,  and  it  seems  that,  within  ten 
days  after  his  arrival  in  Montreal,  all  his  diplo 
macy  proved  ineffectual. 


30  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

"While  the  commissioners  were  applying  them 
selves,"  says  Mr.  Campbell  in  his  excellent  me 
moir,1  "with  their  characteristic  ardor  to  the 
fulfilment  of  their  trust,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll, 
whose  exertions  were  of  a  different  character,  was 
diligently  employed  in  visiting  the  clergy,  and 
conferring  with  individuals  among  them,  lie  ex 
plained  to  them  the  nature  of  the  differences 
between  England  and  the  United  Colonies,  show 
ing  that  the  resistance  of  the  latter  was  caused 
by  invasions  of  their  charters,  and  violations  of 
Avell  known  and  long  recognized  principles  of  the 
British  constitution.  To  this  the  clergy  replied 
that,  since  the  acquisition  of  Canada  by  the  British 
government,  its  inhabitants  had  no  agressions  to 
complain  of ;  that,  on  the  contrary,  government 
had  faithfully  complied  with  all  the  stipulations 
of  the  treaty,  and  had  in  fact  sanctioned  and  pro 
tected  the  ancient  laws  and  customs  of  Canada, 
even  so  far  as  to  allow  the  French  judicial  or 
ganization  and  forms  of  law,  with  a  delicacy 
that  demanded  their  respect  and  gratitude.  The 

1  See  Life  and  Times  of  Archbishop  Carroll,  by  B.  U.  Campbell. — 
U.  >S'.  Catholic  Magazine,  vol.  iii,  p.  244,  &c. 

Mr.  Campbell  states,  in  a  letter  to  me,  that  "the  part  taken  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  in  Canada  was  communicated  to  him  by  Dr.  Fen  wick, 
bishop  of  Boston,  a  personal  friend  of  Archbishop  Caroll,  who,  in  a 
visit  to  Canada,  met  an  aged  Canadian  priest  who  had  seen  Dr.  Carroll 
there,  and  gave  Dr.  Fenwick  an  account  of  what  passed  between  Dr. 
Carroll  and  the  Canadian  clergy,  with  his  disapprobation  of  the  course  of 
Dr.  Carroll  in  endeavoring  to  enlist  the  Catholic  clergy  on  the  side  of  the 
United  Colonies/' 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  31 

Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  then  represented  to  them  that 
congress  had  expressly  stipulated  that  if  the  Cana 
dians  would  unite  with  the  colonies  in  the  asser 
tion  of  their  constitutional  rights,  their  religion, 
its  institutions,  and  the  property  of  the  religious 
orders  and  communities  should  be  protected  and 
guarantied;  and  that  Catholics,  instead  of  being 
merely  tolerated  as  by  England,  should  have  equal 
rights  with  the  professors  of  all  other  religions. 
To  these  assurances  the  Canadians  replied  that,  on 
the  score  of  religious  liberty,  the  British  govern 
ment  had  left  them  nothing  to  complain  of  or  to 
desire ;  that  they  were  then  in  possession  of  all  the 
ecclesiastical  property  which  they  had  held  at  the 
time  of  the  cession  of  Canada,  that  their  numerous 
and  important  missions  were  flourishing,  and  their 
religious  societies  felt  entire  confidence  in  the  pro 
tection  of  the  government,  whose  officers  carried 
their  courtesy  and  respect  so  far  as  to  pay  military 
honors  to  the  public  religious  exercises,  a  conspicu 
ous  evidence  of  which  was,  that  the  government 
actually  furnished  a  military  escort  to  accompany 
the  grand  processions  on  the  festival  of  Corpus 
Christ!.  And,  therefore,  that  upon  the  well  estab 
lished  principle  that  allegiance  is  due  to  protection, 
the  clergy  could  not  teach  that  neutrality  was  con 
sistent  with  the  allegiance  due  to  such  ample 
protection  as  Great  Britain  had  shown  the  Cath 
olics  of  Canada. 


32  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

"The  judicious  and  liberal  policy  of  the  British 
government  to  the  Catholics  had  succeeded  in 
inspiring  them  with  sentiments  of  loyalty,  which 
the  conduct  of  the  people  and  the  public  bodies 
of  some  of  the  United  Colonies  had  served  to 
strengthen  and  confirm.  It  was  remembered,  and 
stated  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll,  that  in  the  colo 
nies  whose  liberality  he  was  now  avouching,  the 
Catholic  religion  had  not  been  tolerated  hitherto. 
Priests  were  excluded  under  severe  penalties,  and 
Catholic  missionaries  among  the  Indians  rudely 
and  cruelly  treated.  His  explanation  that  these 
harsh  measures  were  the  result,  in  a  great  part, 
of  the  laws  of  the  royal  government,  did  not 
satisfy  the  Canadians  of  the  favorable  dispositions 
of  those  who,  though  prompt  and  valiant  in  the 
defence  of  their  political  rights,  had  never  mani 
fested  a  correspondent  sensibility  in  support  of 
the  sacred  rights  of  conscience  when  Catholics 
were  concerned.  The  friends  of  the  royal  govern 
ment  had  assiduously  pointed  out  inconsistencies 
between  the  address  of  the  continental  congress  to 
the  people  of  Great  Britain  and  that  addressed  to 
the  people  of  Canada, 

"By  the  'Quebec  act,'  passed  by  parliament,  it 
was  provided  that  his  majesty's  subjects  professing 
the  religion  of  the  church  of  Rome,  of  and  in  the 
said  province  of  Quebec,  may  have,  hold,  and 
enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  the  religion  of  the 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  33 

church  of  Home,  &c.,  and  that  the  clergy  of  the 
said  church  may  hold,  receive,  and  enjoy  their 
accustomed  dues  and  rights,  with  respect  to  such 
persons  only  as  shall  profess  the  said  religion. 
They  were  also  excused  from  taking  the  oath  re 
quired  by  the  statute  of  1st  Elizabeth,  or  any 
other  oath  substituted  by  other  acts  in  the  place 
thereof,  &c. 

"Unfortunately,  the  address  of  congress  to  the 
people  of  Great  Britain,  adopted  the  21st  of  Oc 
tober,  1774,  had  used  the  following  language  in 
reference  to  the  'Quebec  act:' 

"'Nor  can  we  suppress  our  astonishment  that  a 
British  parliament  should  ever  consent  to  establish 
in  that  country  a  religion  that  has  deluged  your 
island  in  blood,  and  dispersed  impiety,  bigotry, 
persecution,  murder,  and  rebellion  through  every 
part  of  the  world.'  And  'that  we  think  the  legis 
lature  of  Great  Britain  is  not  authorized  by  the 
constitution  to  establish  a  religion  fraught  with 
sanguinary  and  impious  tenets,'  &c. 

"After  sentiments  which  did  their  religion  so 
much  injustice,  the  Canadian  clergy  were  not  dis 
posed  to  receive  with  much  favor  the  follow 
ing  declarations  of  the  same  congress  in  their 
'Address  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  province  of 
Quebec:'  'We  arc  too  well  acquainted  with  the 
liberality  of  sentiment  distinguishing  your  nation, 
to  imagine  that  difference  of  religion  will  preju- 


34  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

dice  you  against  a  hearty  amity  with  us.  You 
know  that  the  transcendent  nature  of  freedom 
eleyates  those  who  unite  in  her  cause  aboyc  all 
such  low-minded  infirmities.  The  Swiss  cantons 
furnish  a  memorable  proof  of  this  truth.  Their 
union  is  composed  of  Roman  Catholic  and  Pro 
testant  states,  living  in  the  utmost  concord  and 
peace  with  one  another,  and  thereby  enabled, 
ever  since  they  bravely  vindicated  their  freedom, 
to  defy  and  defeat  every  tyrant  that  has  in 
vaded  'them.'"1 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll,  having  thus  failed  in  his 
part  of  the  mission,  joined  Dr.  Franklin  and  re 
turned  to  the  south.  Meanwhile,  however,  Messrs. 
Chase  and  Carroll  of  Carrollton  had  been  busy 

i  "Nothing  can  exhibit  more  clearly  the  bad  effects,  upon  the  Cana 
dians,  of  the  address  to  tho  British  people,  than  the  following  contempo 
raneous  letter,  comprised  among  the  revolutionary  documents  recently 
published  by  order  of  congress. 

u  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Canada,  dated  Montreal,  March  24,  1775. 

"  '  The  address  from  the  Continental  Congress  attracted  the  notice  of 
some  of  the  principal  Canadians  ;  it  was  soon  translated  into  very 
tolerable  French.  The  decent  manner  in  which  the  religious  matters 
were  touched,  the  encomiums  on  the  French  nation,  flattered  a  people  fond 
of  compliments.  They  begged  the  translator,  as  he  had  succeeded  so 
well,  to  try  his  hand  on  that  addressed  to  Great  Britain.  He  had  equal 
success  in  this,  and  read  his  performance  to  a  numerous  audience.  But 
when  he  came  to  that  part  which  treats  of  the  new  modeling  of  the 
province,  draws  a  picture  of  the  Catholic  religion,  and  Canadian  man 
ners,  they  could  not  contain  their  resentment,  nor  express  it  but  in 
broken  curses.  'O  the  perfidious  double-faced  Congress!  Let  us  blc.-s 
and  obey  our  benevolent  Prince,  whose  humanity  is  consistent,  and  ex 
tends  to  all  religions  ;  let  us  abhor  all  who  would  seduce  us  from  our 
loyalty,  by  acts  that  would  dishonor  a  Jesuit,  and  whose  addresses,  like 
their  resolves,  are  destructive  of  their  own  objects.'  " — American  Arc/ticcs, 
vol.  ii,  p.  2.31. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  35 

with  the  military  part  of  their  embassy.  On  the 
day  after  their  arrival  at  Montreal,  they  attended 
a  council  of  war,1  in  which  it  was  resolved  to 
fortify  Jacques  Cartier, — the  Falls  of  Richelieu, 
an  important  post  between  Quebec  and  Montreal, 
—and  to  build  six  gondolas  at  Chamblay,  of  a 
proper  size  to  carry  heavy  cannon,  and  to  be 
under  the  direction  of  Arnold.  But  disasters 
thickened  around  the  insurgents.  The  small 
pox  had  broken  out  among  the  troops,  and  was 
making  deep  inroads  upon  their  scanty  num 
bers.  The  Canadians  showed  no  symptoms  of 
sympathy  with  the  colonists,  and,  to  crown  the 
whole,  bad  news  was  soon  received  from  the  be 
siegers  at  Quebec. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  General  Thomas  had  taken 
command  at  the  capital,  and  found  by  the  returns 
that,  out  of  nineteen  hundred  men,  there  were  not 
more  than  a  thousand,  including  officers,  who  were 
tit  for  duty;  all  the  rest  were  invalids,  chiefly 
afflicted  with  smallpox.  There  were  several  posts 
to  be  defended  by  this  trifling  force,  and  at  such 
distances  from  each  other  that  not  more  than  three 
hundred  men  could  be  rallied  to  the  relief  of  any 
one  of  them,  should  it  be  assailed  by  the  whole 
force  of  the  enemy.  Besides  this,  there  were  but 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  powder,  and  only 

1  Sec  American  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  HOC. 


36  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

six  days'  provisions  in  the  camp,  whilst  their 
French  neighbors  were  so  disaffected  towards  the 
colonists  that  supplies  were  procured  with  the 
greatest  difficulty. 

On  the  fifth,  a  council  of  war  was  held,  and  it 
was  resolved  to  remove  the  invalids,  artillery, 
batteaux,  and  stores  higher  up  the  river,  so  as 
to  prevent  our  being  cut  off  by  water  from  the 
interior  posts  in  the  event  of  the  arrival  of 
reinforcements  to  the  enemy.  But,  on  the 
evening  of  the  same  day,  intelligence  was  re 
ceived  in  the  American  camp  that  fifteen  ships 
were  forty  leagues  below  Quebec,  hastening  up 
the  river;  and  early  next  morning  five  of  them 
hove  in  sight. 

General  Thomas1  immediately  gave  orders  to 
embark  the  artillery  and  sick  in  the  batteaux, 
whilst  the  enemy  began  to  land  their  troops. 
About  noon  a  body  of  the  British,  a  thousand 
strong,  formed  into  two  divisions  in  columns  of  six 
deep,  and  supported  with  a  train  of  six  pieces  of 
cannon,  attacked  our  sentinels  and  main  guard. 
Our  officers  made  a  stand  for  a  moment  on  the 
plains,  with  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  and 
one  field  piece  only,  when  the  order  for  retreat 
was  given  and  our  encampment  was  precipitately 
deserted.  In  the  confusion  all  our  cannon  and 

1  lie  died  of  smallpox  soon  after  the  retreat  to  Sorel. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  37 

ammunition  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,  and  it  is 
believed  that  about  two  hundred  of  our  invalids 
were  made  prisoners.  Following  the  course  of 
the  river,  our  broken  army  fled  towards  Montreal, 
and,  halting  for  a  wrhile  at  Deschambault,  finally 
retreated  along  the  St.  Lawrence,  until  it  made  a 
stand  at  Sorel.1  And  thus  Quebec  was  lost  for 
ever  to  the  colonists. 

Meantime  the  commissioners  had  kept  up  a 
faithful  correspondence  with  congress,  and  they 
continued  it  until  their  departure  from  Canada. 
Their  manuscript  letters,  preserved  in  the  depart 
ment  at  Washington,  are  dated  on  the  1st,  8th, 
10th,  16th,  and  27th  of  May.2  The  last  of  these, 
perhaps,  is  the  most  interesting  of  the  series,  and, 
as  it  gives  the  results  of  their  examinations,  we 
shall  let  it  speak  for  itself,  especially  as  the 
"written  report"  made  to  congress  by  Messrs. 
Chase  and  Carroll,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1776, 
could  not  with  the  most  diligent  search  be 
found  in  Washington. 


1  See  the  letters  of  General  Thomas  to  the  Commissioners,  May  7th, 
1776;    and  of  General  Arnold  to  General  Schuyler,   May   10,    177G. — 
Atticrican  Archives,  vol.  vi,  pp.  451,  452. 

2  See  American  Archives,  vols.  v  and  vi. 


38  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 


""Montreal,  27th  May,  1770. 

THE  COMMISSIONERS  IN  CANADA 

k>To  THE  PRESIDENT  OF  CONGRESS: 


"In  our  last  we  informed  you  of  the  deplorable 
state  of  the  army;  matters  have  not  mended  since. 
We  went  to  the  mouth  of  Sorel  last  week,  where  wo 
found  all  things  in  confusion;  there  is  little  or  no 
discipline  among  your  troops,  nor  can  any  be  kept 
up  while  the  practice  of  enlisting  for  a  twelve 
month  continues;  the  general  officers  are  all  of 
this  opinion.  Your  army  is  badly  paid ;  and  so 
exhausted  is  your  credit  that  even  a  cart  can  not  oe 
procured  without  ready  money  or  force.  AVe  will 
give  you  an  instance  of  the  lowness  of  your  credit. 
Three  barrels  of  gunpowder  were  ordered  from 
Chamblay  to  Montreal;  this  powder  was  brought 
from  Chamblay  to  a  ferry,  about  three  miles  olf, 
where  it  would  have  remained  had  wo  not  luckily 
passed  by,  and,  seeing  the  distress  of  the  officer, 
undertaken  to  pay  ready  and  hard  money  for  the 
hire  of  a  cart  to  convey  it  to  Low/aril.  The  army 
is  in  a  distressed  condition,  and  is  in  want  of  the 
most  necessary  articles — meat,  bread,  tents,  shoes, 
stockings,  shirts,  &c.  The  greatest  part  of  those 
who  fled  from  Quebec  left  all  their  baggage  behind 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  39 

them,  or  it  was  plundered  by  those  whose  times 
were  out,  and  have  since  left  Canada.  We  are 
informed  by  Colonel  Allen  that  the  men  who,  from 
pretended  indisposition,  had  been  excused  from  doing 
duty,  were  the  foremost  in  the  jftiyht,  and  carried  off 
such  burdens  on  their  backs  as  hearty  and  stout  men 
would  labor  under. 

"With  difficulty  three  hundred  tents,  and  about 
two  hundred  camp-kettles,  were  procured  here,  and 
sent  to  the  Sorel  for  the  use  of  the  army,  and  were 
delivered,  as  we  were  informed,  to  one  Major 
Fuller,  who  acted  in  the  room  of  Mr.  Campbell, 
deputy  quartermaster-general,  who  had  joined 
the  army  at  the  Sorel  but  a  day  or  two  before 
our  arrival,  where,  among  other  instances  of 
mismanagement,  we  give  the  following:  Colonel 
Nicholson's  regiment,  consisting  only  of  one  hun 
dred  men,  received  thirty  tents  and  thirty-one 
camp-kettles;  Colonel  Porter's  regiment,  not  ex 
ceeding  that  number,  received  fifty-six  tents  and 
thirty-three  kettles. 

"Your  army  in  Canada  do  not  exceed  four  thou 
sand;  above  four  hundred  are  sick  with  different 
disorders;  three-fourths  of  the  army  have  not  had  the 
smallpox.  The  greater  part  of  Greatons,  Bond's, 
and  Burr  ell's  regiments  have  been  lately  inocu 
lated.  There  arc  about  eiylit  tons  of  gunpowder  in 
the  colony.  To  evince  the  great  distress  we  are 
reduced  to  for  want  of  bread.  Ave  must  inform  YOU 


40  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

that  we  were  obliged  to  buy  thirty  loaves  of  bread 
of  our  baker  to  feed  Colonel  I)e  Haas'  detachment, 
which  entered  this  town  Friday  night,  on  their  way 
to  join  General  Arnold  at  La  Chine,  and  who  could 
not  be  supplied  by  the  commissary.  Such  is  our 
extreme  want  of  flour  that  we  were  yesterday 
obliged  to  seize  by  force  fifteen  barrels  to  supply 
this  garrison  with  bread.  Previous  to  this  seizure  a 
general  order  was  issued  to  the  town-major  to  wait 
on  the  merchants,  or  others  having  provisions  or 
merchandise  for  sale,  requesting  a  delivery  of  what 
our  troops  are  in  immediate  want  of,  and  requir 
ing  him  to  give  a  receipt,  expressing  the  quantity 
delivered;  for  the  payment  of  which  the  faith  of 
the  United  Colonies  is  pledged  by  your  commis 
sioners.  Toothing  but  the  most  urgent  necessity 
can  justify  such  harsh  measures;  but  men  with 
arms  in  their  hands  will  not  starve  when  provi 
sions  can  be  obtained  by  force.  To  prevent  a 
general  plunder,  which  might  end  in  the  massacre 
of  your  troops,  and  of  many  of  the  inhabitants,  we 
have  been  constrained  to  advise  the  general  to  take 
this  step.  We  can  not  conceal  our  concern  that 
six  thousand  men  should  be  ordered  to  Canada, 
without  taking  care  to  have  magazines  formed  for 
their  subsistence,  cash  to  pay  them,  or  to  pay  the 
inhabitants  for  their  labor,  in  transporting  the  bag 
gage,  stores,  and  provisions  of  the  army.  We  can 
not  find  words  strong  enough  to  describe  our  mis- 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  41 

erablo  situation;  you  will  liave  a  faint  idea  of 
it  if  you  figure  to  yourself  an  army  broken  and 
disheartened,  half  of  it  under  inoculation,  or 
under  other  diseases;  soldiers  without  pay,  with 
out  discipline,  and  altogether  reduced  to  live 
from  hand  to  mouth,  depending  on  the  scanty 
and  precarious  supplies  of  a  few  half-starved 
cattle,  and  trifling  quantities  of  flour,  which 
have  hitherto  been  picked  up  in  different  parts 
of  the  country. 

"Your  soldiers  grumble  for  their  pay; — if  they 
receive  it  they  will  not  be  benefited,  as  it  will  not 
procure  them  the  necessaries  they  stand  in  need 
of.  Your  military  chest  contains  but  eleven  thou 
sand  paper  dollars.  You  are  indebted  to  your 
troops  treble  that  sum,  and  to  the  inhabitants 
above  fifteen  thousand  dollars."  l 


"  SAMUEL  CHASE, 
CHARLES  CARROLL  of  Carrollton" 


It  would  be  difficult  to  draw  a  picture  of  more 
abject  wretchedness  than  is  given  in  this  graphic 
letter  of  the  commissioners,  and  it  well  prepares 
us  for  the  consequences.  Having  done  all  in 


1  American  Archives,  vol.  vi,  pp.  589,  590. 

6 


42  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

their  power  to  maintain  our  authority  in  Canada, 
Messrs.  Chase  and  Carroll  took  their  departure 
from  Montreal  on  the  29th  of  May,  to  be  pre 
sent  at  a  council  of  war  of  the  general  and  field 
officers  at  Chamblay.  On  the  30th,  it  was  re 
solved  by  this  council  to  maintain  possession  of 
the  strip  of  country  u between  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  Sorel,  if  possible,  and,  in  the  meantime,  to 
dispose  matters  so  as  fo  make  an  orderly  retreat 
out  of  Canada."1 

On  the  31st  the  commissioners  passed  from 
Chamblay  to  St.  John's,  where  every  thing  was 
in  confusion.  On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  June 
they  found  General  Sullivan,  who  had  arrived 
with  fourteen  hundred  men  during  the  night. 
Xext  day  they  took  leave  of  the  general,  and 
sailed  from  St.  John's  on  their  journey  home 
wards. 

Thus  ended  the  labors  of  the  commissioners. 
They  returned  to  Philadelphia,  reported  to  con 
gress,  and  congress  voted  to  send  new  troops  and 
to  supply  them  properly.2  But,  in  the  meantime, 
the  fate  of  our  efforts  in  Canada  was  sealed. 
The  last  stand  was  made  by  General  Sullivan. 
"Yet,"  says  Mr.  Sparks,  "it  was  more  resolute 
in  purpose  than  successful  in  execution;  the 
whole  army  was  compelled  precipitately  to  evac- 

1  See  Carroll's  Journal  of  those  dates. 

2  See  Journals  of  Congress  for  June,  177G,  vol.  ii,  p.  2CC,  cd.  of  1800. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  43 

uatc  Canada,  and  retire  over  the  lake  to   Crown 
Point. 

"Montreal  was  held  to  the  last  moment.  Arnold 
then  drew  off  his  detachment  with  no  small  risk 
of  being  intercepted  by  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  St.  John's,  making,  as  General  Sullivan 
wrote,  'a  very  prudent  and  judicious  retreat,  with 
an  enemy  close  at  his  heels.'  He  had,  two  days 
before,  been  at  St.  John's,  directed  an  encampment 
to  be  enclosed  and  ordered  the  frame  of  a  vessel 
then  on  the  stocks  to  be  taken  to  pieces,  the  tim 
bers  numbered  and  the  whole  to  be  sent  to  Crown 
Point.  General  Sullivan  soon  arrived  with  the 
rear  of  his  retreating  army  and  preparations  were 
made  for  an  immediate  embarkation.  To  this  work 
Arnold  applied  himself  with  his  usual  activity  and 
vigilance,  remaining  behind  until  he  had  seen 
every  boat  leave  the  shore  but  his  own.  He 
then  mounted  his  horse,  attended  by  Wilkinson, 
his  aid-de-camp,  and  rode  back  two  miles,  when 
they  discovered  the  enemy's  advanced  division  in 
full  march  under  General  Burgoyne.  They  gazed 
at,  or,  in  military  phrase,  reconnoitered  it  for  a 
short  time,  and  then  hastened  back  to  St.  John's. 
A  boat  being  in  readiness  to  receive  them,  the 
horses  were  stripped  and  shot,  the  men  were 
ordered  on  board,  and  Arnold,  refusing  all  assist 
ance,  pushed  off  the  boat  with  own  hands;  'thus,' 
savs  Wilkinson,  'indukrino;  the  vanity  of 


44  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

the  last  man  who  embarked   from  the  shores  of 
the  enemy.'"1 

The  commencement  of  this  attack  upon  Canada 
was  attended  with  brilliant  success.  The  early 
efforts  of  Allen  and  Arnold  at  Ticondcroga  and 
Crown  Point  are  remarkable  for  daring  courage. 
The  career  of  Montgomery  from  the  Isle  Anx 
Xoix  to  Quebec,  and  his  storming  of  that  strong 
hold,  rank  conspicuously  among  military  exploits. 
The  march  of  Arnold  through  the  wilderness  is 
characterized  by  dangers  and  hardships  that  would 
have  appalled  a  less  resolute  soldier.  And  the 
siege  of  Quebec,  with  the  shadow  of  an  army, 
throughout  a  Canadian  winter;  the  diplomacy  of 
congress  by  its  commissioners;  and  last,  though 
not  least,  the  honorable  retreat  of  Sullivan  and 
Arnold,  hotly  pursued  as  they  were  by  Burgoyne 
to  Sorel,  Chamblay,  and  Isle  Aux  Xoix, — all  de 
serve  to  be  remembered,  by  the  student  of  this 
episode  of  our  revolutionary  struggles,  as  reflect 
ing  honor  on  the  gallant  men  who  retreated  from 
those  extremities  of  the  British  possessions  to  pro 
tect  the  vitals  of  the  land  in  the  approaching  war 
of  independence. 

In  this  introductory  sketch,  the  editor,  to  whom 
the  Maryland  Historical  Society  has  confided  so 

1  Sparks's  Life  of  Arnold,  p.  02. 


INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR.  45 

pleasing  a  task,  deems  it  useless  to  add  a  newly 
written  biography.  The  life  of  CHARLES  CARROLL 
OF  CARROLLTON  has  been  so  frequently  described, 
that  the  people  are  familiar  with  it.  Yet  as  the 
writer  who  edited  this  work  for  the  Maryland 
Historical  Society  in  1845,  and,  thirty-one  years 
afterwards  reperforms  the  task  for  the  Centennial 
Anniversary  of  our  Xation  in  1876, — possesses  an 
autograghic  manuscript  of  Mr.  Carroll  setting  forth 
his  biography  for  Mr.  Delaplaine  in  1816,  it  has 
been  thought  fitting  to  preserve  by  printing  such 
a  memorial  of  the  survivor  of  all  the  patriots  who 
signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  It  will 
be  found  in  an  appropriate  place  in  this  book, 
together  with  an  original  letter,  owned  by  the 
Maryland  Historical  Society  and  now^  first  pub 
lished,  written  on  the  2nd  of  June,  1776,  to  the 
father  of  "the  signer"  by  the  Reverend  John  Car 
roll,  immediately  on  his  arrival  in  Philadelphia 
from  Canada. 

The  Diary  which  is  now  published  was  presented 
by  Mr.  Carroll  to  his  grand-daughter  Mrs.  Mac- 
Tavish  in  1823,  and  was  deposited  by  her  in  1844 
among  the  archives  of  our  society. 

It  is  believed  that  this  journal  will  be  deeply 
interesting  to  those  who  like  to  recur  to  the  olden 
times  and  to  mark  the  improvement  made  in  our 
country  within  seventy  years.  The  distance  that 
Mr.  Carroll  passed  over  in  a  month,  may  now 


46  INTRODUCTORY  MEMOIR. 

be  accomplished  with  ease  in  a  couple  of  days, 
whilst  the  wilderness  he  traversed  has  come  to 
"blossom  like  a  rose."1  It  is  by  no  means  the 
least  memorable  association  with  this  valuable 
journal  that  its  author  was  one  of  the  fifty-six, 
who,  soon  afterwards  signed  the  Declaration  wrhose 
pledges  produced  so  magical  a  change  on  the  face 
of  our  country  and'  on  the  welfare  of  mankind. 

Baltimore,  Maryland,  1  July,  1845,  and  May,  187G. 


1  In  comparing  the  past  with  the  present,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting 
to  record  the  fact  that,  in  the  year  1845,  (when  this  Journal  was  first 
printed,)  persons  could  travel  from  : 

New  York  to  Albany,  150  miles,  "by  first  class  steamer,  for  .  .  $  50 
Albany  to  White  Hall,  by  steamer  and  packet  boat,  77  mile?,  .  1  13 
White  Hall  to  St.  John's  by  steamer,  150  miles,  ....  2-3 
St.  John's  to  La  Prairie,  by  railway,  15  miles,  ....  50 
La  Prairie  to  Montreal,  by  steamer,  9  miles, 50 


Timo  two  days,     In  all,  401  miles,  cost, $2  83 


IF  IBJllf 


JOURNAL 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON, 


DURING    HIS 


VISIT  TO  CANADA,  IN  177G,' 


AS  OXE  OF  THE  COMMISSIONEES  FROM  CONGRESS. 


A  PRIL  2d,  1776.  Left  New  York  at  5  o'clock, 
L\  P.  M.;  sailed  up  North  river,  or  Hudson's, 
-*--»"-  that  afternoon,  about  thirteen  miles.  About 
one  o'clock  in  the  night  were  awaked  by  the  firing 
of  cannon:  heard  three  great  guns  distinctly  from 
the  Asia;  soon  saw  a  great  fire,  which  we  pre 
sumed  to  be  a  house  on  Bedloe's  island,  set  on 
fire  by  a  detachment  of  our  troops.  Intelligence 
had  been  received  that  the  enemy  were  throwing 
up  intrenchments  on  that  island,  and  it  had 
been  determined  by  our  generals  to  drive  them 

47 


48  JOUEXAL  OF  CHAELES  CAEEOLL. 

off.  Dr.  Franklin  went  upon  deck,  and  saw 
waving  flashes  of  light  appearing  suddenly  and 
disappearing,  which  he  conjectured  to  "be  the  fire 
of  musquetry,  although  he  could  not  hear  the 
report. 

3d.  A  bad,  rainy  day;  wind  north-east;  quite 
ahead.  A.  M.,  eleven  o'clock,  opposite  to  Colonel 
Phillips's  (a  tory) ;  pretty  situation  near  the  river; 
garden  sloping  down  to  it;  house  has  a  pretty 
appearance;  a  church  at  a  little  distance  on  the 
south  side,  surrounded  by  cedar  trees.  The  banks 
of  the  river,  on  the  western  side  exceedingly  steep 
and  rocky;  pine  trees  growing  amidst  the  rocks. 
On  the  eastern,  or  Xew  York  side,  the  banks  arc 
not  near  so  steep,  they  decline  pretty  gradually  to 
the  water's  edge.  The  river  is  straight  hitherto. 
About  five  o'clock  wind  breezed  up  from  the  south ; 
got  under  way,  and  ran  with  a  pretty  easy  gale  as 
far  as  the  highlands,  forty  miles  from  ^ew  York. 
The  river  here  is  greatly  contracted,  and  the  lands 
on  each  side  very  lofty.  When  we  got  into  this 
strait  the  wind  increased,  and  blew  in  violent 
flaws;  in  doubling  one  of  these  steep  craggy  points 
we  were  in  danger  of  running  on  the  rocks;  en 
deavored  to  double  the  cape  called  St.  Anthony's 
nose,  but  all  our  efforts  proved  ineffectual ;  obliged 
to  return  some  way  back  in  the  straits  to  seek 
shelter;  in  doing  this  our  mainsail  was  split  to 
pieces  by  a  sudden  and  most  violent  blast  of  wind 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  49 

off  the  mountains.  Came  to  anchor:  blew  a  perfect 
storm  all  night  and  all  day  the  fourth.  Remained 
-all  day  (the  fourth)  in  Thunder  Hill  bay,  about 
half  a  mile  below  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose,  and 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Thunder  Hill.  Our  crew 
were  employed  all  this  day  in  repairing  the  maiii- 
sail.  The  country  round  about  this  bay  has  a  wild 
and  romantic  appearance;  the  hills  are  almost  per 
pendicularly  steep,  and  coyered  with  rocks,  and 
trees  of  a  small  size.  The  hill  called  St.  Anthony's 
nose  is  said  to  be  full  of  sulphur.  I  make  no 
doubt  this  place  has  experienced  some  yiolent  con 
vulsion  from  subterraneous  fire:  the  steepness  of 
the  hills,  their  correspondence,  the  narrowness  of 
the  riyer,  and  its  depth,  all  confirm  me  in  this 
opinion. 

5th.  Wind  at  north-east,  mainsail  not  yet  re 
paired.  Sailed  about  twelve  o'clock  from  Thunder 
Hill  bay;  just  before  we  doubled  Cape  St.  An 
thony's  nose,  Mr.  Chase  and  I  landed  to  examine 
a  beautiful  fall  of  water.  Mr.  Chase,  very  appre 
hensive  of  the  leg  of  mutton  being  boiled  too  much, 
impatient  to  get  on  board;  wind  breezing  up,  we 
had  near  a  mile  to  row  to  overtake  the  yessel. 
As  soon  as  we  doubled  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose 
a  beautiful  prospect  opened  on  us.  The  riyer,  from 
this  place  to  Constitution  fort,  built  on  Marbler's 
rock,  forms  a  fine  canal,  surrounded  with  high  hills 
of  various  shapes;  one,  in  particular,  resembles  a 


50  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

sugar  loaf,  and  is  so  called.      About  three  miles 
from  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose  is  another  beautiful 
cascade,  called  "the  Buttermilk/'     This  is  formed 
by  a  rivulet  which  flows  from  a  lake  on  the  top  of 
a  neighboring  mountain;    this  lake,  we  were  told, 
abounds  with  trout  and  perch.     Arrived  about  five 
o'clock  at  Constitution  fort;   Mr.  Chase  went  with 
me   on  shore   to   visit   the  fort;    it  is  built  on   a 
rock  called  Marbler's  rock:  the  river  at  this  place 
makes  a  sudden  bend  to  the  west ;  the  battery  (for 
it  does  not  deserve  the  name  of  a  fort,  being  quite 
open  on  the  north-east  side)  has  two  flanks,  one 
fronting  the  south,  and  the  other  the  west; — on  the 
south  flank  were  planted  thirteen  six  and  one  nine 
pounder;    on  the  west  flank,  seven  nine  pounders 
and  one  six  pounder,  but  there  were  no  cannoneers 
in  the  fort,  and  only  one  hundred  and  two  men  fit 
to  do  duty; — they  intend  to  erect  another  battery 
on    an    eminence    called    Gravel    hill,    which   will 
command  vessels  coming  up  the  river  as  soon  as 
they  double  Cape  St.   Anthony's    nose.      A   little 
above   this  cape  a  battery  is  projected   to   annoy 
the    enemy's    vessels,    to    bo    called    Fort    Mont 
gomery;    they  intend  another  battery  loAver  down 
the  river,  and  a  little  below  Cape  St.  Anthony's 
nose.     In  the  highlands  arc  many  convenient  spots 
to  construct  batteries  on;    but,  in   order  to   make 
them  answer  the  intended  purpose,  weighty  metal 
should   bo  placed   on  these  batteries,   and   skilful 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  51 

gunners  should  be  engaged  to  serve  the  artillery. 
About  nine  o'clock  at  night,  the  tide  making,  we 
weighed  anchor,  and  came  to  again  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  sixth  instant.  The 
river  is  remarkably  deep  all  the  way  through  the 
highlands,  and  the  tide  rapid.  When  we  came 
to  an  anchor  off  Constitution  fort  we  found  the 
depth  of  water  above  thirty  fathoms.  These 
highlands  present  a  number  of  romantic  views, 
the  steep  hills  overshadow  the  water,  and  in 
some  places  the  rocks,  should  they  be  rolled 
down,  would  fall  into  the  river  several  feet  from 
the  banks  on  which  they  stood.  This  river  seems 
intended  by  nature  to  open  a  communication  be 
tween  Canada  and  the  province  of  New  York  by 
water,  and,  by  some  great  convulsion,  a  passage 
has  been  opened  to  the  waters  of  Hudson's  river 
through  the  highlands.  These  are  certainly  a 
spur  of  the  Endless  mountains. 

Oth.  Weighed  anchor  about  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning:  had  a  tine  breeze;  the  country  more 
cultivated  above  the  highlands;  passed  several 
mills,  all  of  them  overshot;  saw  two  frigates  on 
the  stocks  at  Pokcepsay,  building  for  the  service 
of  the  United  Colonies;  saw  a  great  many  lime 
kilns  in  our  run  this  morning,  on  both  sides 
of  the  river,  the  banks  of  which  begin  to  slope 
more  gradually  to  the  water's  edge.  We  wrote 
to  General  Heath,  from  off  Constitution  fort,  and 


52  JOUKXAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL, 

sent  the  letter  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
fort,  with  orders  to  forward  it  by  express  imme 
diately  to  the  general  at  Xew  York.  The  pur 
port  of  the  letter  was  to  inform  the  general  of 
the  very  defenceless  condition  of  the  fort,  that 
measures  might  be  immediately  taken  to  put  it 
in  a  better  posture  of  defence.  If  Howe  was  a 
man  of  enterprise,  and  knew  of  the  weak  state  of 
the  fort,  he  might  take  it  in  its  present  situation 
with  sixty  men,  and  without  cannon.  He  might 
land  his  party  a  little  below  the  fort  on  the  east 
side,  march  over  a  marsh,  and  attack  it  on  the 
back  part.  It  was  proposed  to  erect  a  battery  of 
some  cannon  to  sweep  this  marsh;  but  this,  and 
also  the  battery  above  mentioned,  on  Gravel  hill, 
have  been  strangely  neglected,  and  nothing  as  yet 
has  been  done  towards  constructing  either  of  these 
batteries,  more  than  levelling  the  top  of  Gravel 
hill. 

Six  o'clock,  P.  M.,  came  to  anchor  four  miles 
from  Albany;  had  a  most  glorious  run  this  day, 
and  a  most  pleasant  sail;  including  our  run  in 
the  night,  we  ran  this  day  ninety-six  miles— 
Constitution  fort  being  one  hundred  miles  from 
Albany,  and  sixty  from  Xew  York.  We  passed 
several  country  houses  pleasantly  situated  on  the 
banks,  or,  rather,  eminences  commanding  the 
banks  of  the  river;  the  grounds  we  could  dis 
cover  from  the  vessel  did  not  appear  to  be 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  53 

highly  improved.  We  had  a  distant  view  of  the 
Katskill  mountains.  These  are  said  to  be  some 
of  the  highest  in  North  America;  they  had  a 
pleasing  appearance;  the  weather  being  some 
what  hazy,  they  appeared  like  bluish  clouds  at 
a  great  distance;  when  we  were  nearest  to  them, 
they  were  distant  about  ten  miles.  Vast  tracts 
of  land  on  each  side  of  Hudson's  river  are  held 
by  the  proprietaries,  or,  as  they  arc  here  styled, 
the  Patrones  of  manors.  One  of  the  Ransalaers 
has  a  grant  of  twenty  miles  on  each  side  of  the 

O  t 

river.      Mr.    Robert    R.   Livingston   informed   me 

o 

that  he  held  three  hundred  thousand  acres.  I 
am  told  there  are  but  ten  original  patentees  be 
tween  Albany  and  the  highlands.  The  descend 
ants  of  the  first  proprietaries  of  these  immense 
tracts  still  keep  them  in  possession;  necessity  has 
not  as  yet  forced  any  of  them  to  sell  any  part. 
7th.  Weighed  anchor  this  morning  about  six 
o'clock.  Wind  fair:  having  passed  over  the  over- 
slaw,  had  a  distinct  view  of  Albany,  distant 
about  two  miles: — landed  at  Albany  at  half  past 
seven  o'clock;  received,  at  landing,  by  GENERAL 
ScHUYLER,1  who,  understanding  we  were  coming 
up,  came  from  his  house,  about  a  mile  out  of 

1  Generel  Philip  Schuylor,  who  was  one  of  our  distinguished  revolu 
tionary  soldiers,  was  born  in  1733,  at  Albany.  He  entered  the  army 
at  the  breaking  out  of  the  French  war  in  1755,  and  accompanied  Sir 
"W.  Johnson  to  Fort  Edward  and  Lake  George.  After  the  peace  of 
1763,  he  undertook  several  civil  employments.  On  the  25th  of  June, 


54  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

town,  to  receive  us  and  invite  us  to  dine  with 
him;  he  behaved  with  great  civility;  lives  in 
pretty  style ;  has  two  daughters  (Betsy  and 
Peggy),  lively,  agreeable,  black  eyed  girls.  Al 
bany  is  situated  partly  on  a  level,  and  partly  on 
the  slope  of  a  hill,  or  rising  ground,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river.  Vessels  drawing  eight  and 
nine  feet  water  may  come  to  Albany,  and  five 
miles  even  beyond  it,  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
when  the  waters  are  out.  The  fort  is  in  a  ruin 
ous  condition,  and  not  a  single  gun  mounted  on 
it.  There  are  more  houses  in  this  town  than 
in  Annapolis,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  much  more 
populous.  The  citizens  chiefly  speak  Dutch, 
being  mostly  the  descendants  of  Dutchmen;  but 
the  English  language  and  manners  are  getting 
ground  apace. 

Oth.  Left  Albany  early  this  morning,  and  trav 
elled  in  a  wagon  in  company  with  Mrs.  Schuyler, 
her  two  daughters,  and  Generals  Schuyler  and 

1775,  (whilst  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress,)  he  was  appointed 
third  major  general  of  the  American  army;  and  was  forthwith  charged 
by  Washington  with  the  command  of  our  forces  in  the  province  of  New 
York.  Here  and  in  Canada  he  served  the  country  with  great  ability, 
until  the  order  was  given  to  abandon  that  province.  After  this  he  dis 
played  his  patriotism  and  usefulness  in  various  public  employments  of  a 
a  military  character;  and  in  April,  1779,  congress,  after  his  repeated 
solicitations,  accepted  the  resignation  of  his  command  in  the  army.  The 
benefit  of  his  enlightened  judgment  and  civil  services  was  not  denied  to 
his  country  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  last  few  years  were 
passed  in  dignified  retirement;  and,  after  suffering  the  most  poignant 
anguish  from  the  distressing  fate  of  his  beloved  son-in-law,  General  Hamil 
ton,  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  on  the  18th  of  November,  1804. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  55 

Thomas.     At  six  miles  from  Albany  I  quitted  the 
wagon    and  got  on  horse-back  to  accompany  the 
generals  to  view  the  falls  on  the  Mohawk's  river, 
called   the    Cohooes.      The   perpendicular    fall    is 
seventy-four  feet,  and  the  breadth  of  the  river  at 
this  place,  as  measured  by  General  Schuyler,  is  one 
thousand  feet.     The  fall  is  considerably  above  one 
hundred  feet,   taken  from  the  first  ripple  or  still 
water  above  the  perpendicular  fall.     The  river  was 
swollen  with  the  melting  of  the  snows  and  rains, 
and  rolled  over  the  frightful  precipice  an  impetu 
ous  torrent.     The  foam,  the  irregularities  in  the 
fall  broken  by  projecting  rocks,  and  the  deafening 
noise,  presented  a  sublime  but  terrifying  spectacle. 
At  fifty  yards  from  the  place  the  water  dropped 
from  the  trees,  as  it  does  after  a  plentiful  shower, 
they  being  as  wet  with  the  ascending  vapor  as  they 
commonly  are  after  a  smart  rain  of  some  continu 
ance.     The   bottoms    adjoining   the   river  Hudson 
are  fine  lands,  and  appeared  to  be  well  cultivated; 
most   of  them   that   we   passed   through   were   in 
wheat,  which,  though  commonly  overflowed  in  the 
spring,  we  were  informed  by  our  driver,  suffered 
no  hurt,  but  were  rather  improved  by  the  inun 
dation.     AYe  arrived  in  the  evening,  a  little  before 
sunset,  at  Saratoga,  the  seat  of  General  Schuyler, 
distant  from  Albany  thirty-two  miles.     AYe  spent 
the  whole  day  in  the  journey,  occasioned  by  the 
badness   of  the  roads,  and  the  delay  the  wagons 


56     ,      JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

met  with  in  crossing  two  ferries.  The  roads  at  this 
season  of  the  year  are  generally  bad,  but  now  worse 
than  ever,  owing  to  the  great  number  of  wagons 
employed  in  carrying  the  baggage  of  the  regiments 
marching  into  Canada,  and  supplies  to  the  army 
in  that  country.  General  Schuyler  informed  me 
that  an  uninterrupted  water-carriage  between  Xew 
York  and  Quebec  might  be  perfected  at  fifty  thou 
sand  pounds  Stirling  expense,  by  means  of  locks, 
and  a  small  canal  cut  from  a  branch  that  runs 
into  Wood  creek,  and  the  head  of  a  branch  which 
falls  into  Hudson's  river;  the  distance  is  not  more 
than  three  miles.  The  river  Richelieu  or  Sorel,  is 
navigable  for  batteaux  from  the  lake  Champlain 
into  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  rapids,  below  St. 
John's,  arc  not  so  considerable  as  to  obstruct  the 
navigation  of  such  vessels. 

The  lands  about  Saratoga  are  very  good,  par 
ticularly  the  bottom  lands.  Hudson's  river  runs 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  house,  and  you 
have  a  pleasing  view  of  it  for  two  or  three 
miles  above  and  beloAV.  A  stream  called  Fishkill, 
which  rises  out  of  Lake  Saratoga,  about  six  miles 
from  the  general's  house,  runs  close  by  it,  and 
turns  several  mills;  one,  a  grist  mill,  two  saw 
mills,  (one  of  them  carrying  fourteen  saws,)  and 
a  hemp  and  flax  mill.  This  mill  is  a  new  con 
struction,  and  answers  equally  well  in  breaking- 
hemp  or  flax.  I  requested  the  general  to  get  a 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  57 

model  made  for  me  by  the  person  who  built  it. 
Descriptions    of    machines    are   seldom   accurately 
made,  and  when  done  with  exactness  are  seldom 
understood.     I  was  informed  by  the  general  that 
it    is    customary   for    the    great    proprietaries    of 
lands   to   lease   them   out   for    three    lives,    some 
times    on    fee-farm-rents,    reserving,    by    way  .  of 
rent,  a  fourth,  or,  more  commonly,  a  tenth  of  all 
the  produce;   but  the  proprietaries  content  them 
selves    with    a    tenth    of    the    wheat.      On    every 
transmutation    of    property   from    one    tenant    to 
another,    a   quarter   part   of  what   the   land   sells 
for  is  sometimes  paid  to  the  original  proprietary 
or  lord  of  the  manor.     The  general  observed  to 
me   that   this  was   much   the   most   advantageous 
way  of   leasing  lands; — that  in  the  course   of   a 
few   years,    from   the    frequent    transmutations    of 
tenants,    the    alienation    fines    would    exceed    the 
purchase  of  the  fee-simple,  though  sold  at  a  high 
valuation.     General  Schuyler  is  a  man  of  a  good 
understanding  improved  by  reflection   and  study; 
he   is    of  a   very   active   turn,    and   fond   of   hus 
bandry,    and   when    the    present    distractions    are 
composed,  if  his  infirm  state  of  health  will  per 
mit   him,   will   make   Saratoga    a    most    beautiful 
and    most    valuable    estate,      lie    saws    up    great 
quantities    of    plank    at   his    mills,    which,    before 
this   war,  was    disposed    of  in   the   neighborhood, 
but  the  greater  part  of  it  sent  to  Albany. 
8 


58  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

llth.  Generals  Thomas  and  Scliuyler  set  off  this 
morning  for  Lake  George;  the  former  to  be  in 
readiness  to  cross  the  lake  on  the  first  breaking- 
lip  of  the  ice,  the  latter  to  forAvard  the  embarka 
tion  and  transportation  of  military  stores  and 
supplies. 

12th.  It  snowed  all  this  morning  until  eleven 
o'clock;  the  snow  above  six  inches  deep  on  the 
ground:  it  was  not  off  the  neighboring  hills  when 
we  left  Saratoga.1 

16th.  This  morning  we  set  off  from  Saratoga;  I 
parted  with  regret  from  the  amiable  family  of 
General  Scliuyler;  the  ease  and  affability  with 
which  we  were  treated,  and  the  lively  behavior 
of  the  young  ladies,  made  Saratoga  a  most  pleas 
ing  sejour,  the  remembrance  of  which  will  long 
remain  with  me.  We  rode  from  Saratoga  to 
McXeill's  ferry,  [distance  two  miles  and  a  half,] 
crossed  Hudson's  river  at  this  place,  and  rode  on 
to  one  mile  above  Fort  Miller,  which  is  distant 
from  McXeill's  two  miles.  A  Mr.  Dover  has  a 
country-seat  near  Fort  Miller;  you  see  his  house 
from  the  road.  There  is  a  very  considerable  fall 
in  the  river  at  Fort  Miller.  Just  above  it  our 

1  Dr.  Franklin  addressed  a  friendly  letter  to  Josiah  Quincy,  dated  loth 
of  April,  1776,  in  which  he  says,  '-I  am  here  on  my  way  to  Canada, 
detained  by  the  present  state  of  the  lakes,  in  which  the  unthuwed  ice 
obstructs  the  navigation.  I  begin  to  apprehend  that  I  have  undertaken 
u  fatigue  that,  at  my  time  of  life,  may  prove  too  much  for  me,  so  /  ait 
down  to  write  to  a  few  friends,  by  way  of  farewell." — See  Sparks's  Life  of 
Franklin,  vol.  viii,  p.  180. — American  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  '.)47. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  59 

baggage  was  put  into  another  boat;  it  had  been 
brought  in  a  wagon  from  Saratoga  to  McNeill's, 
carried  over  the  ferry  in  a  wagon,  and  then  put 
on  board  a  boat,  in  which  it  was  conveyed  to  the 
foot  of  Fort  Miller  falls;  then  carried  over  land 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  put  into  a  second  boat. 
At  a  mile  from  Fort  Miller  we  got  into  a  boat 
and  went  up  the  Hudson  river  to  Fort  Edward. 
Although  this  fort  is  but  seven  miles  distant 
from  the  place  where  we  took  boat,  we  were 
above  four  hours  rowing  up.  The  current  is 
exceedingly  rapid,  and  the  rapidity  was  increased 
by  a  freshet.  In  many  places  the  current  was 
so  strong  that  the  batteau  men  were  obliged  to 
set  up  with  poles,  and  drag  the  boat  by  the 
painter.  Although  these  fellows  were  active  and 
expert  r.t  this  business,  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  they  could  stem  the  current  in  particu 
lar  places.  The  congress  keeps  in  pay  three 
companies  of  batteau  men  on  Hudson's  river, 
consisting  each  of  thirty-three  men  with  a  cap 
tain; — the  pay  of  the  men  is  £4.10  per  month, 
The  lands  bordering  on  Hudson's  river,  as  you 
approach  Fort  Edward,  become  more  sandy,  and 
the  principal  wood  that  grows  on  them  is  pine. 
There  arc  several  saw  mills  both  above  and 
below  Fort  Miller.  The  planks  sawed  at  the 
mills  above  Fort  Miller  arc  made  up  into  small 
rafts  and  left  without  guides  to  the  current  of 


60  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

the  river;  each  one  is  marked,  so  that  the  raft- 
men  that  remain  just  below  Fort  Miller  falls, 
watching  for  them  coming  down,  may  easily 
know  their  own  rafts.  When  they  come  over 
the  falls  they  go  out  in  canoes  and  boats  and 
tow  their  rafts  ashore,  and  then  take  them  to 
pieces  and  make  them  again  into  larger  rafts. 
The  smaller  rafts  are  called  cribs.  The  ruins 
only  of  Fort  Edward  remain;  there  is  a  good 
large  inn,  where  we  found  quartered  Colonel  Sin 
clair's  regiment.  Mr.  Allen,  son  of  old  Mr. 
Allen,  is  lieutenant-colonel;  he  received  us  very 
politely  and  accommodated  us  with  beds.  The 
officers  of  this  regiment  are  in  general  fine  sized 
men,  and  seemed  to  be  on  a  friendly  footing;  — 
the  soldiers  also  are  stout  fellows. 

17th.  Having  breakfasted  with  Colonel  Allen, 
we  set  off  from  Fort  Edward  on  our  way  to  Fort 
George.  We  had  not  got  a  mile  from  the  fort 
when  a  messenger  from  General  Schuvler  met 

o  ^ 

us.  He  was  sent  with  a  letter  by  the  general  to 
inform  us  that  Lake  George  was  not  open,  and 
to  desire  us  to  remain  at  an  inn  kept  by  one 
Wing  at  seven  miles  distance  from  Fort  Edward 
and  as  many  from  Fort  George.  The  country 
between  Wing's  tavern  and  Fort  Edward  is  very 
sandy  and  somewhat  hilly.  The  principal  wood 
is  pine.  .  At  Fort  Edward  the  river  Hudson 
makes  a  sudden  turn  to  the  westward;  it  soon 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  01 

again  resumes  its  former  north  course,  for,  at 
a  small  distance,  we  found  it  on  our  left  and 
parallel  with  the  road  which  we  travelled,  and 
which,  from  Fort  EdAvard  to  Fort  George,  lies 
nearly  north  and  south.  At  three  miles,  or 
thereabouts,  from  Fort  Edward,  is  a  remarkable 
fall  in  the  river.  AVe  could  see  it  from  the 
road,  but  not  so  as  to  form  any  judgment  of  its 
height.  We  were  informed  that  it  was  upwards 
of  thirty  feet,  and  is  called  the  Kingsbury  falls. 
We  could  distinctly  sec  the  spray  arising  like  a 
vapor  or  fog  from  the  violence  of  the  fall.  The 
banks  of  the  river,  above  and  below  these  falls 
for  a  mile  or  two,  arc  remarkably  steep  and 
high,  and  appear  to  be  formed  or  faced,  with  a 
kind  of  stone  very  much  resembling  slate.  The 
banks  of  the  Mohawk's  river  at  the  Cohooes  are 
faced  with  the  same  sort  of  stone; — it  is  said  to 
be  an  indication  of  sea-coal.  Mr.  Wing's  tavern 
is  in  the  township  of  Queensbury,  and  Charlotte 
county;  Hudson's  river  is  not  above  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  his  house.  There  is  a  most  beau 
tiful  fall  in  the  river  at  this  place.  From  still 
water,  to  the  foot  of  the  fall,  I  imagine  the  fall 
cannot  be  less  than  sixty  feet,  but  the  fall  is  not 
perpendicular;  it  may  be  about  a  hundred  and 
twenty  or  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  and  in 
this  length,  it  is  broken  into  three  distinct  falls, 
one  of  which  mav  be  twenty-five  feet  nearly 


62  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

perpendicular.  I  saw  Mr.  Wing's  patent, — the 
reserved  quit-rent  is  two  shillings  and  sixpence 
sterling  per  hundred  acres;  but  he  informs  me 
it  has  never  been  yet  collected. 

ISth.  We  set  off  from  Wing's  tavern  about 
twelve  o'clock  this  day,  and  reached  Fort  George  l 
about  two  o'clock;  the  distance  is  eight  miles  and 
a  half; — you  can  not  discover  the  lake  until  you 
come  to  the  heights  surrounding  it, — the  descent 
from  which  to  the  lake  is  nearly  a  mile  long;— 
from  these  heights  you  have  a  beautiful  view  of 
the  lake  for  fifteen  miles  down  it.  Its  greatest 
breadth  during  these  fifteen  miles  does  not  exceed 
a  mile  and  a  quarter,  to  judge  by  the  eye,  which, 
however,  is  a  very  fallacious  way  of  estimating 
distances.  Several  rocky  islands  appear  in  the 
lake,  covered  with  a  species  of  cedar  called  here 
hemlock.  Fort  George  is  in  as  ruinous  a  condi 
tion  as  Fort  Edward,  it  is  a  small  bastion,  faced 
with  stone,  and  built  on  an  eminence  command 
ing  the  head  of  the  lake.  There  are  some  barracks 


1  See  General  Schuyler's  letter  to  Washington,  dated  Fort  George, 
April  27,  1770,  Am.  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  1097;  arid  the  letter  immedi 
ately  following,  from  Arnold  to  Sehuyler,  dated  at  Montreal  on  the 
20th  April.  These  letters  give  gloomy  views  of  Canadian  affairs.  The 
reader  will  not  be  amazed,  after  reading  Arnold's  account  of  our  army 
and  its  resources,  that  it  finally  retreated  from  the  province. 

According  to  Arnold's  returns  of  the  troops  before  Quebec  on  the  30th 
March,  786  were  on  the  sick  list  out  of  2505,  most  of  whom  were  griev 
ously  ill  of  the  small-pox. — "Fifteen  hundred  of  these  men,"  he  says, 
"are  at  liberty  on  the  15th  of  April,  and  probably  not  more  than  half 
of  them  will  be  retained  in  the  service." 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  63 

in  it,  in  which  the  troops  were  quartered,  or  rather 
one  barrack,  which  occupied  almost  the  whole  space 
between  the  walls.  At  a  little  distance  from  this 
fort,  and  to  the  westward  of  it,  is  the  spot  where 
the  Baron  Dieskau  was  defeated  by  Sir  William 
Johnson.1  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  further  to 
the  westward  the  small  remains  of  Fort  William 
Henry  are  to  be  seen  across  a  little  rivulet  which 


1  See  Chalmers's  History  of  the  Revolt  of  the  American  Colonies,  vol. 
ii,  p.  277,  and  Smith's  History  of  New  York,  vol.  ii,  p.  220. 

The  Baron  Dieskau  had  collected  about  3000  men  at  Crown  Point, 
and  led  a  detachment  of  200  regulars,  GOO  Canadians,  and  as  many 
Indians,  up  the  South  hay,  intending  to  pass  on  and  lay  waste  the  set 
tlements  down  to  Albany;  but,  near  Port  Edward,  he  turned  back,  with 
hopes  of  cutting  off  that  part  of  the  army  which  was  then  fourteen  miles 
higher  up  the  lake.  He  was  first  met  by  a  party  of  about  1000  men, 
a  few  miles  from  our  canp.  He  drove  them  before  him,  as  well  as  a 
detachment  sent  to  support  them;  but,  by  a  very  great  error,  instead  of 
storming  the  log  breastwork,  he  halted  and  scattered  his  irregulars  at 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  keeping  up  a  fire  of  musquetry,  until  the 
camp  recovered  from  its  surprise  and  began  to  play  upon  them  with 
artillery. 

Wounded,  and  deserted  by  all  but  his  handful  of  regulars,  he  endeav 
ored  to  reach  his  boats  at  South  bay;  but  was  pursued,  wounded  again, 
and  taken.  A  detachment  of  200  men  from  Fort  Edward,  arriving  at 
this  instant,  pursued  the  flying  army,  and  completed  the  repulse  before 
the  dusk  of  evening.  ISir  William  Johnson  received  a  wound  in  the 
thigh  early  in  the  action,  and  the  defence  was  conducted  by  General 
Lyman. 

Dieskau  had  been  a  favorite  soldier  of  Saxe,  and  by  his  recommenda 
tion  had  been  entrusted  by  the  French  government  with  command  in 
Canada.  He  was  long  retained  a  prisoner  in  England,  and,  I  believe, 
died  there  from  the  effects  of  the  wounds  received  in  this  fatal  action. 
His  account  of  the  battle  and  his  correspondence  with  his  government 
may  be  seen  in  the  collection  of  MSS.  lately  made  by  Mr.  Brodhead  for 
the  state  of  New  York,  and  deposited  at  Albany  in  the  Secretary  of 
State's  office. — See  vol.  xi  of  the  Paris  Documents,  pp.  117,  123,  125. 

In  February,  17-50,  parliament  granted  at  the  request  of  the  colonies, 
whose  troops  had  defeated  Dieskau,  £115,000,  not  so  much  as  a  reim 
bursement  as  a  bounty;  more  as  an  encouragement  for  future  exploits, 
than  as  a  reward  for  the  past. 


64  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

forms  a  swamp,  and  is  the  morass  mentioned  by 
Sir  William  Johnson  in  his  account  of  the  action 
with  Dieskau.  Fort  William  Henry  was  taken 
last  war  by  Montcalm  and  destroyed; — the  garri 
son,  consisting  of  four  hundred  men,  and  sixteen 
hundred  others  that  were  intrenched  without  the 
fort,  capitulated;  —  a  considerable  part  of  these 
men  were  murdered  by  the  Indians,  on  their 
march  to  Fort  Edward,  after  they  had  delivered 
up  their  arms,  according  to  the  terms  of  capitu 
lation.  The  bay  in  which  Montcalm  landed  is 
seen  from  Fort  George;  he  left  a  guard  of  five 
hundred  men  only  to  protect  his  boats  and  artil 
lery,  and  marched  round  over  the  heights  to 
come  to  the  southward  of  Fort  William  Henry. 
When  on  these  heights,  he  discovered  the  in 
trenched  body  without  the  fort,  and  seeing  the 
great  indiscretion  he  had  been  guilty  of  in  leav 
ing  so  small  a  force  to  guard  his  baggage  and 
boats,  he  rashly  marched  back  to  secure  them. 
Had  our  troops  attacked  Montcalm's  live  hun 
dred  men,  they  would  probably  have  defeated 
them,  taken  his  cannon  and  boats,  and  forced 
him  to  surrender  with  his  whole  army.  There  was 
nothing  to  impede  the  attack  but  want  of  enter 
prise  and  conduct  in  the  commanding  officer. l 

1  See  Smith's  History  of  New  York,  vol.  ii,  pp.  245-G,  and  Chalmers's 
History  of  the  Kevolt  of  the  American  Colonies,  vol.  ii,  pp.  287-8. 

"  Montcalm,  who  succeeded  Dieskau  in  command,  crossed  Lake  Cham- 
plain  with  eleven  thousand  men,  and  a  numerous  artillery,  and  invested 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  Go 

The  neighborhood  of  Fort  George  abounds  with 
limestone,  and  so  indeed  does  all  the  country 
surrounding  the  lake,  and  all  the  islands  in 
it.  Their  rocky  coast  and  bottom  contribute,  no 
doubt,  to  the  clearness  of  the  lake  water.  Xcvcr 
did  I  sec  water  more  transparent,  and  to  its 
transparency,  no  doubt,  must  be  ascribed  the 
excellency  of  the  lish  in  this  lake,  which  much 
exceed  the  fish  in  Lake  Champlain.  Lake  George 
abounds  with  perch,  trout,  rock,  and  eels. 

10th.  AVe  embarked  at  Fort  George  this  even 
ing,  about  one  o'clock,  in  company  with  General 
Schuyler,  and  landed  in  Montcalm's  bay  about 
four  miles  from  Fort  George.  After  drinking 
tea  on  shore,  and  arranging  matters  in  our  boats, 
we  again  embarked,  and  went  about  three  or 
four  miles  further,  then  landed,  (the  sun  being 
set,)  and  kindled  fires  on  shore.  The  longest  of 
the  boats,  made  for  the  transportation  of  the 
troops  over  lakes  George  and  Champlain,  are 


Fort  William  Henry  in  the  beginning  of  August,  1757.  This  fort  had 
been  erected  subsequently  to  the.  Crown  Point  expedition.  Webb,  who 
lay  in  its  vicinity  at  Fort  Edward,  with  four  thousand  regulars  and 
provincials,  did  every  thing  for  its  relief  that  could  be  expected  from  an 
intelligent  officer.  But  he  found  it  impossible  to  collect  the  numerous 
militias  of  the  neighboring  provinces,  since  they  never  had  been  em 
bodied  under  any  system,  and  the  authority  of  the  governors  had  long 
bsen  sacrificed  to  the  passions  of  the  multitude. 

"  Monro  defended  Fort  William  Henry  with  a  gallantry  that  gained 
him  the  applause  of  his  conqueror,  who  could  not,  however,  protect  a 
brave  garrison  from  the  plunder  of  the  savages.  Montcalm,  after  this, 
retired  into  Canada,  and  so  ended  the  third  campaign  of  that  war  " 


66  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

thirty-six  feet  in  length  and  eight  feet  wide; 
they  draw  about  a  foot  water  when  loaded,  and 
carry  between  thirty  and  forty  men,  and  are 
rowed  by  the  soldiers.  They  have  a  mast  fixed 
in  them,  to  which  a  square  sail,  or  a  blanket  is 
fastened,  but  these  sails  are  of  no  use  unless 
with  the  wind  abaft  or  nearly  so.  After  we  left 
Montcalm  bay  we  were  delayed  considerably  in 
getting  through  the  ice;  but,  with  the  help  of 
tentpoles,  we  opened  ourselves  a  passage  through 
it  into  free  water.  The  boats  fitted  up  to  carry 
us  across  had  awnings  over  them,  under  which 
we  made  up  our  beds,  and  my  fellow  travellers 
slept  very  comfortably;  but  this  was  not  my 
case,  for  I  was  indisposed  the  whole  night,  with 
a  violent  sickness  at  my  stomach  and  vomiting, 
occasioned  by  an  indigestion.  We  left  the  place 
where  we  passed  the  night  very  early  on  the 
20th. 

20th.  We  had  gone  some  miles  before  I  rose; 
soon  after  I  got  out  of  bed  we  found  ourselves 
entangled  in  the  ice.  We  attempted,  but  in 
vain,  to  break  through  it  in  one  place,  but 
were  obliged  to  desist  and  force  our  passage 
through  another,  which  we  effected  without  much 
difficulty.  At  eight  o'clock  we  landed  to  break 
fast.  After  breakfast  the  general  looked  to  his 
small  boat;  being  desirous  to  reach  the  landing 
at  the  north  end  of  Lake  George,  we  set  off 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  67 

together;  but  the  general's  boat  and  the  other 
boat,  with  part  of  the  luggage,  soon  got  before  us 
a  considerable  way.  After  separating,  we  luckily 
fell  in  with  the  boat  bringing  the  Montreal  and 
Canada  mail,  by  which  we  were  informed  that 
the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  at  a  place  called 
Sabatay  point,  was  much  encumbered  with  ice, 
but  that  there  was  a  free  passage  on  the  east 
side;  accordingly,  we  kept  along  the  east  shore, 
and  found  it  free  from  ice,  by  which  means  we 
got  before  the  general  and  the  other  boat;  for 
the  general,  who  was  foremost,  had  been  delayed 
above  an  hour  in  breaking  through  the  ice,  and, 
in  one  place,  was  obliged  to  haul  his  boat  over 
a  piece  or  neck  of  land  thirty  feet  broad.  Dr. 
Franklin  found  in  the  Canada  mail,  which  he 
opened,  a  letter  for  General  Sclmylcr.  When  we 
had  weathered  Sabatay  point,  we  stood  over  for 
the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  and  a  mile  or  two 
below  the  point  we  were  overtaken  by  the  gene 
ral,  from  whom  we  learned  the  cause  of  his  delay. 
Mr.  Chase  and  myself  went  on  board  the  general's 
boat,  and  readied  the  landing  place  at  the  south 
end  of  Lake  George  near  two  hours  before  the 
other  boats.  Lake  George  lies  nearly  north  and 
south,  or  rather,  as  I  think,  somewhat  to  the 
eastward  of  a  due  north  course.  Its  shores  are 
remarkably  steep,  high,  and  rocky  (particularly 
the  east  shore),  and  are  covered  with  pine  and 


68  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

cedar,  or  what  is  here  termed  hemlock;  the  coun 
try  is  wild,  and  appears  utterly  incapable  of  cul 
tivation;  it  is  a  fine  deer  country,  and  likely  to 
remain  so,  for  I  think  it  never  will  be  inhabited. 
I  speak  of  the  shores,  and  I  am  told  the  inland 
country  resembles  these.  The  lake,  in  its  great 
est  width,  does  not  exceed,  I  think,  two  miles; 
the  widest  part  is  nearest  the  north  end,  imme 
diately  before  you  enter  the  last  narrows,  which 
are  not,  in  their  greatest  width,  above  half  a 
mile.  There  are  two  places  where  the  lake  is 
considerably  contracted,  one  about  the  middle  of 
it,  the  other,  as  I  have  said,  at  the  north  end; 
this  last  gradually  contracts  itself  in  breadth  to 
the  size  of  an  inconsiderable  river,  and  suddenly, 
in  depth,  to  that  of  a  very  shallow  one.  The 
landing  place  of  Lake  George  is  a  few  yards  to 
the  southward  of  the  first  fall  or  ripple  in  this 
river,  through  which  the  waters  of  Lake  George 
drain  into  Lake  Champlain.  We  passed  through 
this  ripple,  and  though  our  boat  did  not  draw 
above  seven  or  eight  inches,  her  bottom  raked 
the  rocks;  the  water  ran  through  this  passage 
about  as  swift  as  it  does  through  your  tail  race. 
From  the  landing  place  to  Ticonderoga  is  three 
miles  and  a  half.  The  boats,  in  coming  through 

o  o 

Lake  George,  pass  through  the  passage  just  de 
scribed,  and  unload  at  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beloAV 
the  usual  landing  place.  Their  contents  are  then 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  69 

put  into  wagons,  and  carried  over  to  Ticonderoga. 
General  Schuyler  lias  erected  a  machine  for  rais 
ing  the  boats  when  emptied,  and  then  letting 
them  gently  down  on  a  carriage  constructed  for 
the  purpose,  on  which  they  are  drawn  over  land 
to  Ticonderoga,  on  Lake  Champlain,  to  carry  the 
troops  over  the  last  mentioned  lake,  and  down 
the  Sorel  into  the  river  St.  Lawrence.  These 
carriages  consist  of  four  wheels,  united  bv  a  long 
sapling,  at  the  extremities  of  which  the  wheels 
are  placed;  over  the  axletrees  is  fixed  a  piece 
of  wood,  on  which  each  end  of  the  boat  is  sup 
ported  and  made  fast  by  a  rope  secured  round  a 
bolt  at  the  undermost  part,  and  in  the  centre  of 
the  axletrce.  This  bolt  is  made  of  iron,  and 
passes  through  the  aforesaid  pieces  of  wood  and 
the  axletrec.  These  carriages  are  drawn  by  six 
oxen,  and  this  morning  (21st  instant)  I  saAV  three 
or  four  boats  carried  over  upon  them.  Lake 
George,  from  the  south  end  of  it  to  the  landing- 
place  at  the  north  extremity,  is  thirty-six  miles 
long.  Its  average  width  does  not,  I  think,  ex- 
coed  a  mile,  and  this  breadth  is  interspersed  and 
broken  by  innumerable  little  rocky  islands  formed 
of  limestone;  the  shores  of  which  are  commonly 
so  steep  that  you  may  step  from  the  rocks  into 
ton  or  twelve  feet  water.  The  season  was  not 
sufficiently  advanced  to  admit  of  catching  fish,  a 
circumstanc3  we  had  reason  to  regret,  as  they  are 


70  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

so  highly  praised  by  the  connoisseurs  in  good  eat 
ing,  and  as  one  of  our  company  is  so  excellent  a 
judge  in  this  science.  There  are  no  considerable 
rivers  that  empty  themselves  into  Lake  George. 
We  saw  some  brooks  or  rivulets,  which,  I  pre 
sume,  after  the  melting  of  the  snows,  are  almost 
dry.  The  lake  must  be  fed,  principally,  with 
springs,  the  melting  of  snows,  and  the  torrents 
that  must  pour  into  it,  from  its  high  and  steep 
shores,  after  rains.  As  there  is  no  considerable 
river  that  flows  into  it,  so  is  the  vent  of  its 
waters  into  Lake  Champlain  very  inconsiderable. 
In  summer  you  may  step,  dry-footed,  from  rock 
to  rock,  in  the  place  which  I  have  called  the 
lirst  ripple,  and  which  I  said  we  passed,  coining 
out  of  Lake  George.  The  water  suddenly  shal 
lows  from  a  great  depth  to  nine  or  ten  feet  or 
less.  This  change  is  immediately  discoverable  by 
the  great  change  in  the  color  of  the  water.  The 
lake  water  is  of  a  dark  bluish  cast,  and  the  water 
of  the  river  of  a  whitish  color,  owing  not  only  to 
the  difference  of  the  depth,  but  the  difference  of 
the  bottoms  and  shores,  which,  adjoining  the  river, 
arc  of  white  clay. 

21st.  I  took  a  walk  this  evening  to  the  saw 
mill  which  is  built  on  the  principal  fall  of  the 
river  flowing  from  Lake  George  into  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  At  the  foot  of  this  fall,  which  is  about 
thirteen  feet  high,  the  river  is  navigable  for  bat- 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  71 

teaux  into  Lake  Champlain.  From  the  saw-mill 
to  the  place  where  the  batteaux  are  put  on  car 
riages  to  be  carried  over  land,  the  distance  is 
one  mile  and  a  half.  I  saw  them  unload  a  boat 
from  the  carriage,  and  launch  it,  at  the  same 
time,  into  the  river;  this  was  performed  by 
thirty-five  or  forty  men.  To-day  they  carried 
over  this  portage  fifty  batteaux.  I  saw  the  forty- 
eighth  put  on  the  carriage.  A  little  to  the  north 
westward  of  the  saw-mill,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  I  visited  the  spot  where  Lord  Howe  was 
killed.  At  a  small  expense  a  continued  navi 
gation  for  batteaux  might  be  made  between  the 
lakes  George  and  Champlain,  by  means  of  a  few 
locks.  General  Schuyler  informed  me  that  locks, 
suificient  and  adequate  to  the  above  purpose, 
might  be  constructed  for  fifteen  hundred  pounds 
sterling.  There  are  but  four  or  five  falls  in  this 
river,  the  greatest  of  which  is  not  above  fourteen 
or  fifteen  feet.  But  the  general  informs  me  a 
much  more  advantageous  water  carriage  may  be 
opened  through  Wood  creek,  which  falls  into 
Lake  Champlain  at  Skeenesborough,  twenty-eight 
miles  south  of  Ticonderoga,  The  general  pro 
poses  to  have  this  creek  accurately  surveyed,  the 
heights  ascertained,  and  estimate  made  of  the 
expense  of  erecting  locks  on  Wood  creek,  and 
the  most  convenient  branch  which  heads  near  it 
and  falls  into  Hudson's  river.  If  this  water 


72  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

communication  between  Lake  Champlain  and  the 
province  of  Xew  York  should  be  perfected,  there 
is  little  danger  of  the  enemy's  gaining  the  mas 
tery  of  Lake  Champlain,  or  of  their  ever  having 
it  in  their  power  to  invade  these  colonies  from 
Canada  with  any  prospect  of  success,  besides  the 
security  which  will  be  obtained  for  the  colonies  in 
time  of  Avar  by  making  this  navigation.  Trade, 
during  peace,  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  it,  as 
there  will  then  be  a  continued  water  communica 
tion  between  Xew  York  and  Canada,  without  the 
incoiiA'enience  and  expense  attending  the  portages 
over  land. 

22d.  I  this  morning  took  a  ride  with  General 
Schuyler  across  the  portage,  or  from  the  landing- 
place  at  the  bottom  of  Lake  George,  to  Ticonde- 
roga.  The  landing  place  is  properly  on  the  river 
which  runs  out  of  Lake  George  into  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  and  may  be  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
place  where  the  former  may  be  said  to  terminate, 
i.  e.,  where  the  lake  is  contracted  into  a  river,  as 
a  current  and  shallow  water.  This  river,  comput 
ing  its  length  from  the  aforesaid  spot  to  the  foot 
of  the  falls  at  the  saw-mills,  and  its  windings, 
which  are  inconsiderable,  is  not  more  than  four 
or  five  miles  long.  From  the  foot  of  the  saw 
mill  falls  there  is  still  water  into  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  It  is  at  the  foot  of  these  falls  that  the 
batteaux,  brought  over  land,  are  launched  into 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  73 

the  water,  and  the  artillery  and  the  apparatus 
belonging  to  it  are  embarked  in  them;  the  stores, 
such  as  provisions,  ball,  powder,  &c.,  are  em 
barked  from  Ticonderoga.  At  sixty  or  seventy 
yards  below  the  saw-mill  there  is  a  bridge  built 
over  the  river: — this  bridge  was  built  by  the 
king  during  the  last  war; — the  road  from  the 
landing  place  to  Ticonderoga  passes  over  it,  and 
you  then  have  the  river  on  the  right;  when 
you  have  passed  the  bridge  you  immediately 
ascend  a  pretty  high  hill,  and  keep  ascending 
till  you  reach  the  famous  lines  made  by  the 
French  in  the  last  war,  which  Abercrombie  Ayas 
so  infatuated  as  to  attack  with  musquctry  only; 
—his  cannon  was  lying  at  the  bridge,  about  a 
mile  or  something  better  from  these  lines.  The 
event  of  the  day  is  too  well  known  to  be  men 
tioned;  we  lost  [killed  and  wounded]  near  one 
thousand  six  hundred  men;  had  the  cannon  been 
brought  up,  the  French  would  not  have  waited 
to  be  attacked; — it  was  morally  impossible  to 
succeed  against  these  lines  with  small  arms  only, 
particularly  in  the  manner  they  were  attacked; 
— our  army  passing  before  them,  and  receiving 
a  tire  from  the  whole  extent; — whereas,  had  it 
marched  lower  down,  or  to  the  north-west  of 
these  lines,  it  would  have  flanked  them: — they 
were  constructed  of  large  trunks  of  trees,  felled 
on  each  other,  with  earth  thrown  up  against 
10 


74  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

them.  On  the  side  next  the  French  troops,  they 
had,  besides  felling  frees,  lopped  and  sharpened 
their  branches,  and  turned  them  towards  the 
enemy;  the  trunks  of  the  trees  remain  to  this 
day  piled  up  as  described,  but  arc  fast  going  to 
decay.  As  soon  as  you  enter  these  lines  you 
have  a  full  view  of  Lake  Champlain  and  Ticon- 
deroga  fort,  distant  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
The  land  from  thence  gradually  declines  to  the 
spot  on  which  the  fort  is  built.1  Lake  Cham- 
plain  empties  itself  opposite  the  fort,  and  runs 
south  twenty-eight  miles  to  Skeenesborough. 
Crown  Point  is  fifteen  miles  down  the  lake 
from  Ticonderoga.  The  lake  is  no  where  broad 
in  sight  of  the  last  mentioned  place,  but  the 


1  The  works  at  Ticonderoga  were  trifling:  logs  had  been  piled  up  on 
the  land  side  in  a  line  for  a  breastwork,  with  trees  before  it  to  embar 
rass  assailants.  In  August,  1758,  Abcrcrombie,  who  was  not  informed 
that  there  was,  at  one  end,  an  open  access  to  the  French  encampment, 
ordered  an  attack  with  niusquelnj  alone,  upon  that  part  of  the  line  which 
was  completed  and  fortified  with  cannon.  It  was  at  that  point  that 
the  British  sustained  a  loss  of  nearly  two  thousand  men  in  killed  and 
wounded. 

The  French  general,  who  was  just  within  the  lines,  perceived  the 
folly  of  the  British  in  advancing  through  the  obstructions  of  an  abattis 
of  trees,  and  forbade  a  musket  to  be  fired  until  he  gave  the  word.  As 
soon  as  the  English  troops  were  so  completely  within  his  toils  that  their 
embarrassments  utterly  impeded  flight,  he  issued  the  word  of  command, 
and  the  assailants  were  slaughtered  like  cattle. 

It  was  related  by  Colonel  S-chuylcr,  who  was  then  a  prisoner  in 
Canada,  that  Montcalm's  whole  force  at  Crown  Point  did  not  exceed 
three  thousand  men,  nor  his  killed,  wounded,  and  captured,  two  hun 
dred  and  thirty.  From  a  dread  of  the  British  superiority,  he  had  actu 
ally  resolved,  before  Abercrombie  retreated,  to  abandon  Crown  Point. — 
See  Smith's  History  of  New  York,  vol.  ii,  p.  L'G-3. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  75 

prospect  from  it  is  very  pleasing;  its  shores  are 
not  as  steep  as  those  of  Lake  George.  They 
rise  gradually  from  the  water,  and  are  covered 
more  thickly  with  woods,  which  grow  in  good 
soils,  or  at  least  in  soils  much  better  than  can 
be  seen  on  Lake  George.  There  is  but  one  set 
tlement  on  the  latter,  at  Sabatay  point;  I  un 
derstood  there  were  about  sixty  acres  of  good 
land  at  that  point.  Ticonderoga  fort  is  in  a 
ruinous  condition;  it  was  once  a  tolerable  forti 
fication.  The  ramparts  are  faced  with  stone.  I 
saw  a  few  pieces  of  cannon  mounted  on  one  bas 
tion,  more  for  show,  I  apprehend,  than  service. 
In  the  present  state  of  affairs  this  fort  is  of 
no  other  use  than  as  an  entrepot  or  magazine 
for  stores,  as  from  this  place  all  supplies  for 
our  army  in  Canada  are  shipped  to  go  down 
Lake  Cham/plain.  I  saw  four  vessels,  viz:  three 
schooners  and  one  sloop;  these  are  to  be  armed, 
to  keep  the  mastery  of  the  lake  in  case  we 
should  lose  St.  John's  and  be  driven  out  of 
Canada; — in  the  meantime  they  will  be  employed 
in  carrying  supplies  to  our  troops  in  that  coun 
try.  Of  these  three  schooners,  two  were  taken 
from  the  enemy  on  the  surrender  of  St.  John's, 
one  of  them  is  called  the  Royal  Savage,  and 
is  pierced  for  twelve  guns;  she  had,  when 
taken,  twelve  brass  pieces  —  I  think  four  and 
six  pounders;  these  were  sent  to  Boston.  She 


76  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

is  really  a  line  vessel,  and  built  on  purpose  for 
fighting;  however,  some  repairs  arc  wanted;  a 
new  mainmast  must  be  put  in,  her  old  one 
being  shattered  with  one  of  our  cannon  balls.1 
When  these  vessels  are  completely  rigged,  armed 
and  manned,  we  may  defy  the  enemy  on  Lake 
Champlain  for  this  summer  and  fall  at  least, 
even  should  we  unfortunately  be  driven  out  of 
Canada.  When  our  small  army  last  summer, 
or  rather  fall,  [in  number  about  one  thousand 


1  This  vessel  had  been  taken  the  year  before.  After  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  were  secured  by  Colonel  Allen,  a  party  of  his  troops  came 
suddenly  upon  Major  Skeene,  at  Skeenesborough,  and,  making  him 
prisoner,  also  seized  a  schooner  and  several  batteaux,  with  which -they 
hastened  to  Ticonderoga.  Allen  and  Arnold  then  formed  a  plan  to 
make  a  rapid  descent  upon  St.  John's,  take  a  king's  sloop  that  lay 
there,  and  attempt  a  descent  upon  the  garrison.  The  schooner  and 
batteaux  were  therefore  speedily  manned  and  armed,  and,  as  Arnold 
had  been  a  seaman  in  his  youth,  the  schooner  was  assigned  to  his  com 
mand,  while  the  batteaux  were  committed  to  the  charge  of  Allen.  They 
left  Ticonderoga  at  nearly  the  same  time;  but,  as  the  wind  was  fresh, 
the  schooner  outsailed  the  batteaux.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  of 
the  17th  May,  1775,  Arnold  was  within  thirty  miles  of  St.  John's;  and, 
as  the  weather  was  calm,  lie  fitted  out  two  batteaux  with  thirty-five  men, 
leaving  the  schooner  behind,  and  proceeded  to  his  destination,  where  he 
arrived  at  six  o'clock  'next  morning.  He  immediately  made  his  attack, 
seized  a  sergeant  with  twelve  men,  and  the  king's  sloop  of  about  seventy 
tons,  with  two  brass  sixes,  and  seven  men.  Neither  side  sustained  any 
loss ;  and  embarking,  after  a  delay  of  two  hours,  he  took  with  him  his 
captives,  the  sloop,  and  four  batteaux,  having  destroyed  five  others. 

Fifteen  miles  from  St  John's  he  met  Allen  pressing  forward  with  his 
party.  Thoy  saluted  in  honor  of  the  victory,  and  the  colonel  pushed 
on  with  cue  hundred  men  towards  La  Prairie,  to  keep,  if  possible,  the 
ground  that  had  been  taken  by  Arnold.  But,  notwithstanding  his  reso 
lution  and  courage,  he  was  soon  obliged  to  retreat  before  reinforcements 
that  came  from  Chamblay  and  elsewhere,  and  he  returned  to  Ticonde 
roga,  with  a  loss  of  only  three  men,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners. — See 
fyiarks's  American  BtO(/raj)/i>/,  vol.  i,  p.  279,  et  seq. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  77 

seven  hundred,]  came  to  Isle  aux  Noix,  this 
vessel  was  almost  ready  to  put  to  sea,  she 
wanted  only  as  much  to  be  done  to  her  as  could 
easily  have  been  finished  in  three  days,  had  the 
enemy  exerted  themselves.  Had  she  ventured 
out  our  expedition  to  Canada  must  have  failed, 
and  probably  our  whole  army  must  have  surren 
dered,  for  she  was  greatly  an  overmatch  for  all 
the  naval  strength  we  then  had  on  the  lake. 
Had  Preston,  who  commanded  at  St.  John's, 

ventured  out  with  his  garrison,  consisting  of  six 

~  i  ~ 

hundred  men,  and  attacked  our  people  at  their 
first  landing,  he  would,  in  all  probability,  have 
defeated  them,  as  they  Avere  a  mere  undisciplined 
rabble,  made  up  chiefly  of  the  offings  and  out 
casts  of  ]Vew  York. 

23d.  We  continued  this  day  at  the  landing- 
place,  our  boats  not  being  yet  ready  and  fitted 
to  carry  us  through  Lake  Champlain.  General 
Schuylcr  and  the  troops  were  busily  engaged  in 
carting  over  land,  to  the  saw-mill,  the  batteaux, 
cannon,  artillery  stores,  provisions,  &c.,  there  to 
be  embarked  on  the  navigable  Avaters  of  Lake 
Champlain,  and  transported  over  that  lake  to 
St.  John's. 

24th.  AVc  this  day  left  the  landing  place  at 
Lake  George  and  took  boat  at  the  saw-mill. 
From  the  saw-mill  to  Ticonderoga,  the  distance, 
bv  water,  is  about  a  mile;  the  water  is  shallow, 


78  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

but  sufficiently  deep  for  batteau  navigation.  A 
little  below  the  bridge  before  mentioned,  the 
French,  during  the  last  war,  drove'  pickets  into 
the  river,  to  prevent  our  boats  getting  round 
from  the  saw-mill  to  Ticondcroga  with  the  artil 
lery;  some  of  the  pickets  still  remain,  for  both 
our  boats  struck  on  them.  Ticonderoga  fort1  is 
beautifully  situated,  but,  as  I  said  before,  it  is 
in  a  ruinous  condition; — neither  is  the  place,  in 
my  opinion,  judiciously  chosen  for  the  construc 
tion  of  a  fort;  a  fort  constructed  at  the  saw-mill 
would  much  better  secure  the  passage  or  pass 
into  the  province  of  New  York  by  way  of  Lake 
George.  Having  waited  at  Ticondcroga  an  hour 
or  two,  to  take  in  provisions  for  the  crews  of 
both  boats,  consisting  entirely  of  soldiers,  we 
embarked  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  reached  Crown 
Point  a  little  after  three,  with,  the  help  of 
our  oars  only.  Crown  Point  is  distant  from 
Ticonderoga  only  fifteen  miles.  The  lake,  all 
the  way,  from  one  part  to  another,  is  narrow, 
scarce  exceeding  a  mile  on  an  average.  Crown 
Point  is  situated  on  a  neck  or  isthmus  of  land, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  lake;  it  is  in  ruins; 
it  was  once  a  considerable  fortress,  and  the 
English  must  have  expended  a  large  sum  in 

1  For  an  interesting  account  of  the  capture  of  this  place  by  Ethan 
Allen,  on  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  May,  1775,  uln  the  name,"  as  ho 
said,  "  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  Uie  Continental  Congress;"  see 
American  Biography,  first  series,  vol.  i,  p.  274,  et  seq. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  79 

constructing'  the  fort  and  erecting  the  barracks, 
which  are  also  in  ruins.  A  great  part  of  the 
ditch  is  cut  out  of  the  solid  limestone  rock. 
This  ditch  was  made  by  blowing  the  rocks,  as 
the  holes  bored  for  the  gunpowder  are  plainly 
to  be  seen  in  the  fragments.  By  some  accident 
the  fort  took  fire,  the  flames  communicated  to 
the  powder  magazine,  containing  at  that  time 
ninety-six  barrels.  The  shock  was  so  great  as 
to  throw  down  the  barracks — at  least  the  upper 
stories.  The  explosion  was  distinctly  heard  ten 
miles  off,  and  the  earth  shook  at  that  distance 
as  if  there  had  been  an  earthquake.  This  intel 
ligence  I  received  from  one  Faris,  who  lives  ten 
miles  down  the  lake,  and  at  whose  house  we 
lay  this  night.  The  wood-work  of  the  barracks 
is  entirely  consumed  by  fire,  but  the  stone  work 
of  the  first  stories  might  be  easily  repaired,  and 
one  of  these  barracks  might  be  converted  into  a 
fine  manufactory.  The  erecting  of  these  barracks 
and  the  fort  must  have  cost  the  government 
not  less,  I  dare  say,  than  one  hundred  thousand 
pounds  sterling.1  The  lake  is  narrow  opposite 


1  As  soon  as  Ethan  Allen  had  got  possession  of  Ticonderoga  and 
secured  his  prisoners,  lie  dispatched  Seth.  "Warner  with  a  detachment  of 
men  to  seize  Crown  Point.  The  distance  Avas  only  fifteen  miles,  but  a 
strong  head  wind  drove  back  the  boats,  and  the  whole  party  returned 
the  same  evening.  A  day  or  two  afterwards,  however,  the  attempt  was 
successfully  renewed.  The  garrison — consisting  of  eleven  men  and  a 
sergeant — was  captured,  and  sixty-one  good  cannon,  and  fifty-three  unfit 
for  service,  were  taken. — Sec  Sparks' s  American  Jliograplnj,  vol.  i.  p.  277. 


80  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

the  fort,  and  makes  a  bend,  by  which  the 
vessels  passing  on  the  lake  were  much  exposed 
to  the  artillery  of  the  fort;  and  this  advan 
tageous  situation  first  induced  the  French,  and 
then  the  English,  to  erect  a  fort  here.  The 
French  fort  was  inconsiderable,  and  close  to 
the  water;  the  English  fort  is  a  much  more 
extensive  fortification,  and  farther  from  the  lake, 
but  so  as  to  command  it. 

25th.  We  set  off  from  Faris's  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  If  Faris's  information  may  be 
relied  on,  his  land  and  the  neighboring  lands 
are  exceedingly  fine; — he  told  us  he  had  reaped 
thirty  bushels  of  wheat  from  the  acre;  the  soil 
appears  to  be  good;  but,  to  judge  of  it  from 
its  appearance,  I  should  not  think  it  so  fertile. 
Three  miles  north  of  Faris's  the  lake  begins  to 
contract  itself,  and  this  contraction  continues  for 
six  miles,  and  is  called  the  narrows.  At  Faris's 
the  lake  is  about  two  miles  wide.  We  break 
fasted  in  a  small  cove  at  a  little  distance  to  the 
southward  of  the  Split  rock.  The  Split  rock  is 
nine  miles  from  Faris's  house.  At  the  Split 
rock  the  lake  grows  immediately  wider  as  you 
go  down  it;  its  width,  in  this  place,  can  not  be 
much  short  of  seven  miles.  When  we  had  got 
four  or  five  miles  from  the  rock,  the  wind  headed 
us,  and  blew  a  fresh  gale,  which  occasioned  a 
considerable  swell  on  the  lake,  the  wind  bcino- 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  81 

northeast,  and  having  a  reach  of  twenty  miles. 
We  were  constrained  to  put  in  at  one  Me  Caul - 
ly's,  where  we  dined  on  cold  provisions.  The 
wind  abating  about  four  o'clock,  we  put  off  again 
and  rowed  seven  miles  down  the  lake  to  a  point 
of  land  a  mile  or  two  to  the  southward  of  four 
islands  called  the  Four  Brothers;  these  islands 
lie  nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  lake,  which  is 
very  wide  in  this  place,  and  continues  so  far  as 
you  can  see  down  it,  Mr.  Chase  and  I  slept  this 
night  on  shore  under  a  tent  made  of  bushes. 

2Gtli}  We  set  off  this  morning  at  four  o'clock 
from  the  last  mentioned  point,  which  I  called 
"Commissioners'  point,"  Wind  fair;  a  pretty 
breeze.  At  five  o'clock  reached  Schuyler's  island; 
it  contains  eisrht  hundred  acres,  and  belongs  to 

o  O 

Montreson,  distant  seven  miles  from  the  Four 
Brothers.  Schuyler's  island  lies  near  the  western 
shore.  The  lake  continues  wide;  at  ten  o'clock 
got  to  Cumberland  head,  fourteen  miles  from 
Schuyler's  island.  Cumberland  head  is  the  south 
point  of  Cumberland  bay.  The  bay  forms  a  deep 
recess  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake;  its  length, 
from  Schuyler's  island,  at  the  point  of  land  oppo 
site  to  it,  to  Cumberland  head-land,  is  fourteen 


i  On  the  2Gth  of  April,  1770,  the  President  of  Congress  addressed 
letters  to  the  commissioners,  and  to  General  Schuyler,  upon  the  sub 
ject  of  the  late  disturbances  in  Canada. — See  Am.  Arch.,  vol.  v,  pp. 
1085,  1086.  For  the  resolutions  spoken  of,  see  same  volume,  p.  1G8G. 

11 


82  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

miles,  and  its  depth  not  less  than  nine  or  ten 
miles.  The  wind  luckily  favored  us  until  we 
reached  Cumberland  head;  it  then  ceased; — it 
grew  cloudy,  and  soon  began  to  rain,  and  the 
wind  shifted  to  the  north-east.  We  breakfasted 
at  Cumberland  head  on  tea  and  good  biscuit,  our 
usual  breakfast,  having  provided  ourselves  with 
the  necessary  furniture  for  such  a  breakfast.  As 
soon  as  it  cleared  up  we  rowed  across  a  bay, 
about  four  miles  wide,  to  Point  aux  Roches,  so 
called  from  the  rocks  of  which  it  is  formed. 
Indeed  it  is  one  entire  stone  wall,  fifteen  feet 
high,  but  gradually  inclining  to  the  north-east. 
At  that  extremity  it  is  little  above  the  water. 
Having  made  a  short  stay  at  this  place  to 
refresh  our  men,  we  rowed  round  the  point, 
hugged  the  western  shore,  and  got  into  a  cove 
which  forms  a  very  safe  harbor.  But  the  ground 
being  low  and  swampy,  and  no  cedar  or  hemlock 
trees,  of  the  branches  of  which  our  men  formed 
their  tents  at  night,  we  thought  proper  to  cross 
over  to  Isle  la  Motte,  bearing  from  us  about 
north-east,  and  distant  three  miles.  The  island 
is  nine  miles  long  and  one  broad.  The  south 
west  side  of  it  is  high  land,  and  the  water  is 
deep  close  in  shore,  which  is  rocky  and  steep. 
AVe  lay  under  this  shore  all  night  in  a  critical 
situation,  for  had  the  wind  blown  hard  in  the 
night,  from  the  west,  our  boats  would  probably 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  83 

have  been  stove  against  the  rocks.  We  passed 
the  night  on  board  the  boats,  under  the  awning 
which  had  been  fitted  up  for  us.  This  awning 
could  effectually  secure  us  from  the  wind  and 
rain,  and  there  was  space  enough  under  it  to 
make  up  four  beds.  The  beds  we  Avere  provi 
dent  enough  to  take  with  us  from  Philadelphia. 
We  found  them  not  only  convenient  and  com 
fortable,  but  necessary;  for,  without  this  precau 
tion,  persons  travelling  from  the  colonies  into 
Canada  at  this  season  of  the  year,  or  indeed  at 
any  other,  will  find  themselves  obliged  either  to 
sit  up  all  night,  or  to  lie  on  the  bare  ground  or 
planks.  Several  of  the  islands  in  Lake  Cham- 
plain  have  different  claimants,  as  patents  have 
been  granted  by  the  French  government  and  the 
government  of  Xcw  York.  According  to  the 
present  division,  most  of  them,  indeed  all,  except 
Isle  aux  Noir,  are  in  the  colony  of  Xew  York. 

27 tli.  A  fine  morning.  We  left  our  nation's 
station  at  four  o'clock,  and  rowed  ten  miles  to 
Point  an  Fer,  so  called  from  some  iron  mines 
at  no  great  distance  from  it;  the  land  here,  and 
all  the  adjacent  country,  is  very  flat  and  low. 
Colonel  Christie  has  built  a  house  at  this  point, 
which  is  intended  for  a  tavern;  the  place  is 
judiciously  chosen.  A  small  current  begins  here, 
and  the  raftsmen  are  not  obliged  to  row;  after 
thev  brino;  their  rafts  to  Point  au  Fer,  the 


84  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

current  will  carry  them  in  a  day  to  St.  John's, 
which  is  distant  from  this  point  thirty  measured 
miles.  Windmill  point  is  three  miles  below 
Point  au  Fer ;  and,  a  mile  or  two  below  the 
former,  runs  the  line  which  divides  the  province 
of  Quebec  from  Xew  York.  At  Windmill  point 
the  lake  begins  to  contract  itself  to  the  size  of 
a  river,  but  of  a  large  and  deep  one.  Opposite 
to  this  point  the  width  can  not  be  much  short 
of  two  miles:  six  miles  below  Windmill  point 
you  meet  with  a  small  island  called  Isle  aux 
Tetes:  from  a  number  of  heads  that  were  stuck 
upon  poles  by  the  Indians  after  a  great  battle 
that  was  fought  between  them  on  this  island, 
or  near  it.  At  this  island  the  current  is  not 
only  perceptible,  but  strong.  We  went  close  by 
the  island,  and  in  shallow  water,  which  gave  us 
a  better  opportunity  of  observing  the  switfness  of 
the  current.  A  mile  or  two  below  this  island, 
we  breakfasted  at  a  tavern  kept  by  one  Stodd. 
At  Isle  aux  Tetes,  the  river  Richelieu,  or  St. 
John's,  or  Sorel  (for  it  goes  by  all  these  names), 
may  be  properly  said  to  begin.  It  is  in  this 
placo  above  a  mile  wide,  deep,  and  the  current 
considerable; — its  banks  arc  almost  level  with 
the  water,  —  indeed,  the  water  appears  to  be 
rather  above  the  banks;  the  country  is  one 
continued  swamp,  overflowed  by  the  river  at 
this  season;  as  you  approach  St.  John's  the 


JOURNAL  or  CHARLES  CAEROLL.  85 

current  grows  stronger.  Me  aux  Noix  is  half 
way  between  St.  John's  and  Point  au  Fer,  and 
consequently  fifteen  miles  from  each;  we  passed 
close  by  it:  it  is  very  level  and  low,  covered 
at  the  north  end  with  hazel  bushes;  but  the 
land  is  higher  than  the  banks  of  the  river.1 
We  saw  the  intrenchmcnts  thrown  up  by  the 
French  during  the  last  war,  and  the  remains  of 
the  pickets  driven  into  the  river,  quite  across  to 
the  island,  to  prevent  the  English  boats  from 


1  In  a  letter  from  Colonel  Ethan  Allen  to  congress,  on  the  2d  June, 
1770,  he  speaks  of  his  expedition  as  one  undertaken  at  the  special  en 
couragement  and  request  of  a  number  of  gentlemen  in  the  colony  of 
Connecticut.  After  alluding  to  his  successes,  he  declares  that  the  key 
of  Canada  is  yet  ours,  and  strongly  recommends  that  two  or  three  thou 
sand  men  should  be  pushed  into  that  province,  so  as  to  weaken  General 
Gage,  and  insure  us  the  country.  He  even  believed  that  if  he  could  be 
thus  furnished,  he  would  find  it  no  insuperable  difficulty  to  take  Quebec. 

If,  however,  it  was  thought  premature  to  push  an  army  into  Canada, 
he  proposed  to  make  a  stand  at  the  Isle  aux  Noix,  which  had  been  for 
tified  by  the  intrenchmcnts  of  the  French  during  the  last  war,  and  had 
greatly  fatigued  our  large  army  to  take  it. 

Allen's  advice  was  deemed  bold  and  incautious  when  given,  but  events 
afterwards  proved  that  it  was  characterized  by  wisdom  and  forethought. 
If  a  competent  force  had  been  thrown  into  Canada  before  the  British  had 
time  to  rally  their  scattered  forces,  the  campaign  would  have  rewarded 
us  with  success  instead  of  the  sad  failure  that  attended  the  wavering  and 
tardy  policy  pursued  by  congress  in  maturing  the  expedition. 

Congress,  or  the  country  had,  however,  at  this  moment,  not  yet  re 
solved  how  far  they  would  enlist  the  Canadians  in  the  enterprise,  and 
could  not  but  have  regarded  the  attack  on  their  French  neighbors  as 
very  much  like  a  distinct  war  from  that  undertaken  against  the  British. 
The  first  effort  of  the  colonies  was  to  secure  their  own  immediate  posses 
sions;  the  next,  to  prevent  injury  to  them  from  such  possessions  as 
Great  Britain  might  retain.  The  reader  will  observe  that  Mr.  Carroll 
fully  agreed  with  Colonel  Allen  as  to  the  great  importance  of  this  mili 
tary  position  at  the  Islo  aux  Noix. — Sec  Sparks's  Am.  Biorj  ,  vol.  ],  p. 
283  ct  scq.,  ct  p.  287. 


86  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

getting  clown  to  St.  John's.  These  fortifications 
induced  Gren'l  Amherst  to  penetrate  into  Canada 
by  Oswego  lake  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  rather 
than  run  the  hazard  of  being  stopped  at  Isle  aux 
Noix.  Indeed  I  believe  he  would  have  found  it 
a  difficult  matter  to  force  his  way  through  this 
pass,  which  appears  to  me  of  great  consequence 
in  the  present  contest,  should  the  forces  of  the 
United  Colonies  be  obliged  to  evacuate  Canada; 
for  if  we  occupy  and  fortify  this  island,  drive 
pickets  into  the  river,  and  build  row  galleys, 
and  place  them  behind  the  pickets,  or  between 
the  little  islets  formed  by  the  several  smaller 
islands,  almost  contiguous  to  Isle  aux  Noix,  the 
enemy  will  not  be  able  to  penetrate  into  the 
colonies  from  Canada  by  the  way  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  It  is  certain  that  Amherst,  rather  than 
expose  himself  to  the  disgrace  of  being  foiled  at 
this  post,  chose  to  make  a  roundabout  march  of 
several  hundred  leagues,  and  encounter  the  rapids 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  by  which  lie  lost  some  of 
his  boats  and  several  hundred  men.1  Having 

1  General  Amherst  left  Schenectady  in  June,  1700,  to  join  an  army 
of  four  thousand  regulars  and  six  thousand  provincials,  who  were  to 
descend  into  the  heart  of  the  French  colony  by  the  St.  Lawrence.  Mean 
while  General  Murray  was  to  approach,  with  two  thousand  regulars, 
from  Quebec,  whilst  five  thousand  provincial?,  under  Colonel  Haviland, 
were  to  penetrate  by  Lake  Champlain.  Sir  "William  Johnson  also 
held  out  a  promise  of  assistance  by  a  large  body  of  Indian  allies,  of 
whom  not  more  than  six  hundred  accompanied  the  western  army  for  a 
short  distance,  and  then  returned  to  their  villages  and  hunting  grounds. 
The  three  grand  divisions,  however,  met  in  the  neighborhood  of 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  87 

passed  the  Isle  aux  Noix,  the  wind  sprang  up  in 
our  favor; — assisted  by  the  wind  and  current,  we 
reached  St.  John's  at  three  o'clock.  Before  I 
speak  of  this  fortress,  it  may  not  be  improper  to 
make  some  remarks  on  the  navigation  of  Lake 
Champlain,  the  adjacent  country,  and  its  appear 
ance.  The  navigation  appears  to  be  very  secure, 
as  there  are  many  inlets,  coves,  and  harbors,  in 
which  such  vessels  as  will  be  used  on  the  lake 
may  at  all  times  find  shelter;  the  water  is  deep, 
at  least  wherever  we  touched,  close  in  with  the 
land.  There  are  several  islands  in  the  lake,  the 
most  considerable  of  which  we  saw;  the  principal 
is  Grand  isle,- — it  deserves  the  appellation,  being, 
as  we  were  informed,  twenty-seven  miles  long, 
and  three  or  four  miles  wide.  Isle  la  Motte  is 
the  next  largest,  and  Isle  de  Belle  Cour  ranks 
after  that.  Isle  la  Motte  we  touched  at;  the 
others  we  could  plainly  distinguish.  We  saw 
several  of  the  islands  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
the  lake,  some  of  which  appear  as  large  as  Pop 
lar's  island;  but  having  no  person  on  board  our 
boats  acquainted  with  the  lake,  we  could  not 

Montreal,  and  drove  the  enemy's  forces  into  the  island,  when,  being 
surrounded  and  unable  to  resist,  Monsieur  Vaudrieul,  the  governor, 
surrendered  all  Canada  to  the  British  on  the  8th  of  September.  It  was 
whilst  Amherst  was  proceeding  north,  on  this  expedition,  that  he  was 
forced  to  avoid  the  French  at  Isle  aux  Noix,  and  thus  lost  some  valua 
ble  troops  in  the  perilous  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  result 
confirms  Allen's  view  of  the  military  importance  of  that  island  in  all 
attacks  on  Canada. 


88  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

learn  their  names.  The  lake,  on  an  average, 
may  be  six  miles  broad;  in  some  places  it  -is 
above  fifteen  miles  wide,  particularly  about  Cum 
berland  bay  and  Schuyler's  island;  but  in  others 
it  is  not  three  miles,  and  in  the  narrows  not 
above  a  mile  and  a  half,  to  judge  by  the  eye. 
As  you  go  down  the  lake,  the  mountains  which 
hem  it  in  on  the  east  and  west  extend  them 
selves  wider,  and  leave  a  greater  extent  of  fine 
level  land  between  them  and  the  lake  on  each 
shore.  Some  of  these  mountains  are  remarkably 
high.  In  many  places,  on  or  near  their  tops, 
the  snow  still  remains.  They  form  several  pic 
turesque  views,  and  contribute  much,  in  my 
opinion,  to  the  beauty  of  the  lake.  The  snow 
not  dissolving,  in  their  latitude,  at  the  end  of 
April,  is  a  proof  of  their  height: — the  distance 
at  which  some  of  these  mountains  are  visible  is 
a  still  stronger  proof.  Several  of  them  may  be 
distinctly  seen  from  Montreal,  which  can  not  be 
at  a  less  distance  from  the  most  remote  than 
seventy  or  eighty  miles,  and,  I  am  inclined  to 
think,  considerably  further.  If  America  should 
succeed,  and  establish  liberty  throughout  this 
part  of  the  continent,  I  have  not  the  least  doubt 
that  the  lands  bordering  on  Lake  Champlain 
will  be  very  valuable  in  a  short  time,  and  that 
great  trade  will  be  carried  on  over  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  between  Canada  and  Xew  York.  An  easy 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  89 

water  communication  may  be  opened,  at  no  great 
expense,  (if  General  Schuyler  be  not  mistaken,) 
between  the  cities  of  Xcw  York,  Montreal,  and 
Quebec,  and  several  other  places  in  Canada. 
Richelieu,  or  Sorel  river,  from  Isle  aux  Tetes  to 
St.  John's,  would  be  esteemed  a  large  river  even 
in  Maryland.  The  navigation  of  it  between  those 
places  is  good,  for  the  current  is  not  so  strong 
as  not  to  be  stemmed  with  oars,  or  a  wind.  At 
St.  John's  the  current  is  very  rapid,  and  con 
tinues  so,  sometimes  more,  sometimes  less,  to 
Chamblay, — distant  twelve  miles  from  St.  John's. 
Opposite  St.  John's,  I  think  the  river  is  half  a 
mile  wide. 

The  fortifications  of  St.  John's  were  not  injured 
by  the  siege;  —  they  consist  of  earth  ramparts, 
enclosed  by  a  ditch  filled  with  water;  palisadoes, 
closely  joined  together,  are  fastened  at  the  base 
of  the  ramparts,  and  confined  by  the  weight  of 
them  projecting  half  way  over  the  ditch,  to  pre 
vent  an  escalade.  There  are,  properly  speaking, 
two  forts,  built  around  some  houses,  which  were 
converted  into  magazines  and  barracks;  —  the 
communication  between  the  two  is  secured  by  a 
strong  enclosure  of  large  stakes  driven  deep  into 
the  ground,  and  as  close  as  they  can  stand 
together.  A  ditch  runs  alono;  this  fence.  The 

O  t-J 

houses  within   the  forts   suffered  much   from  our 
batteries    which    surrounded    the    forts,    but    the 
1:2 


90  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

cannon  was  not  heavy  enough  to  make  any 
impression  on  the  works.  Want  of  ammunition 
and  provisions,  and  the  inclemency  of  the  season, 
obliged  the  garrison  to  surrender;  for  the  sol 
diers  were  constrained  to  hide  themselves  in  the 
cellars,  which  are  bomb-proof,  or  lie  behind  the 
mounds  of  earth  thrown  up  within  the  forts, 
exposed  to  the  severity  of  the  cold  and  rains,  or 
run  the  risk  of  having  their  brains  beaten  out  in 
the  houses  by  our  shot,  or  by  a  fragment  of  the 
walls  and  timbers,  and  bursting  of  the  bombs. 
As  you  go  down  the  river  from  Point  au  Fcr  to 
St.  John's,  you  have  a  distant  and  beautiful  pros 
pect  of  the  mountains  on  either  side  of  the  lake. 
After  passing  Isle  aux  NoLv,  you  have  a  tine 
view  of  the  mountain  of  Chamblay,  on  the  top 
of  which  is  a  lake  stored  with  excellent  trout 
and  perch.  Having  despatched  a  messenger  to 
Montreal  for  carriages  for  ourselves  and  baggage, 
we  crossed  the  river  to  go  to  a  tavern  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  about  a  mile  from  the 
fort.  The  house  belongs  to  Colonel  Hazen,  and 
has  greatly  suffered  by  the  neighborhood  of  the 
troops.  There  is  scarcely  a  whole  pane  of  glass 
in  the  house,  the  window-shutters  and  doors  arc 
destroyed,  and  the  hinges  stolen;  in  short,  it 
appears  a  perfect  wreck.  This  tavern  is  kept  by 
a  French  woman,  married  to  one  Donalio,  now  a 
prisoner  in  Pennsylvania. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  91 

2Sth.  We  remained  at  Colonel  Hazcn's  house. 
Several  batteaux  with  troops  arrived  this  day  and 
yesterday  evening  from  Ticonderoga,  and  most  of 
them  fell  down  the  river  this  day  to  Chamblay. 
The  land  appears  to  be  very  fertile,  and  well 
adapted  to  pasture;  the  grass  began  to  grow  fast, 
although  the  frost  was  not  then  out  of  the  ground, 
the  surface  only  being  thawed.1 

20tli.  Left  Colonel  Ilazen's  house;  crossed  over 
to  St.  John's,  where  we  found  our  caleches  ready 
to  receive  us.  After  an  hour's  stay  spent  in  get 
ting  our  baggage  into  the  carts,  and  securing  the 
remainder,  —  which,  for  want  of  carts,  we  were 
obliged  to  leave  behind  us, — we  set  off  from  St. 
John's  for  La  Prairie,  distant  eighteen  miles.  I 
never  travelled  through  worse  roads,  or  in  worse 
carriages.  The  country  is  one  continued  plain 
from  St.  John's  to  La  Prairie,  and  two-thirds  of 
the  way  uncultivated,  though  deserving  the  high 
est  cultivation.  About  five  or  six  miles  from  La 
Prairie  you  meet  with  houses  and  ploughed  lands, 
interspersed  with  meadows,  which  extend  as  far 
as  you  can  see; — all  this  tract  of  land  is  capable 
of  being  turned  into  fine  meadow,  and  when  the 
country  becomes  more  populous,  and  enjoys  a 
good  government,  I  doubt  not  it  will  bo  all 

1  Immodiately  OH  the  arrival  of  the  commissioners  at  Montreal,  Mr. 
John  Carroll  addressed  a  letter  to  his  mother,  dated  1st  May,  giving  an 
interesting  account  of  their  journey  to  Canada.  The  reader  will  find  it 
in  the  American  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  1158. 


92  JOUKXAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

drained  and  made  into  excellent  meadow  or  pastu 
rage.  Without  draining,  it  will  be  impossible  to 
cultivate  it  in  any  way.  You  have  no  view  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  or  of  Montreal,  until  you  come 
within  three  or  four  miles  of  La  Prairie.  At  La 
Prairie  the  idew  of  the  town  and  the  river,  and 
the  island  of  Montreal,  together  with  the  houses 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  form  a 
beautiful  prospect.  As  far  as  the  view  extends 
down  the  river,  you  discern  houses  on  either  side 
of  it,  which  are  not  divided  from  each  other  by 
more  than  four  acres,  and  commonly  by  not  more 
than  two.  From  La  Prairie  you  go  slanting 
down  the  river  to  Montreal;  this  passage  is  com 
puted  six  miles,  though  the  river,  in  a  direct 
line  across  from  the  eastern  shore  to  the  town, 
is  not  more  than  three  miles.  Ships  of  three 
hundred  tons  can  come  up  to  Montreal;  but  they 
can  not  get  up  above  the  town,  or  even  abreast 
of  it.  The  river  where  we  crossed  is  filled  with 
rocks  and  shoals,  which  occasion  a  very  rapid 
current  in  several  places.  We  were  received 
by  GENERAL  ARNOLD,  on  our  landing,  in  the 
most  polite  and  friendly  manner;  conducted  to 
headquarters,  where  a  genteel  company  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  had  assembled  to  welcome  our 
arrival.  As  we  went  from  the  landing  place  to 
the  general's  house,  the  cannon  of  the  citadel 
fired  in  compliment  to  us  as  the  commissioners 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  93 

of  congress.  Wo  supped  at  that  general's,  and 
after  supper  were  conducted,  by  the  general  and 
other  gentlemen,  to  our  lodgings, — the  house  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Walker, — the  best  built,  and  per 
haps  the  best  furnished  in  this  town.1 

May  llth.  Dr.  Franklin  left  Montreal  to-day 
to  go  to  St.  John's,  and  from  thence  to  congress. 
The  doctor's  declining  state  of  health,  and  the 
bad  prospect  of  our  affairs  in  Canada,  made  him 
take  this  resolution.2 

1  Sec  Arnold's  letter  to  Schnylcr,  Montreal,  April  30,  177G. — Archives, 
vol.  v,  p.  1155.     And  see  also.  Commissioners'  letter  to  Congress,  dated 
Montreal,  1  May,  1770,  with  the  memorandum  of  the  council  of  war  as 
to  fortifying  Jaqucs  Cartier  and  the  falls  of  Richelieu,  and  the^building 
of  six  gondolas. — American  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  11G6. 

2  Dr.  Franklin's  health  (as  he  had  predicted  at  the  outset)  was  im 
paired  by  the  hardships  of  this  journey.      After  being  a  fortnight  at 
Montreal,  he  set   out  homewards  with   Mr.   John  Carroll,   who  after 
wards    became   the   first    Roman   Catholic    Archbishop   of  tho   United 
States.     "With  some  difficulty  they  reached  Albany,  whence  they  came 
to  New  York  in  a  private  carriage  furnished  by  General  Schuyler. 

In  a  letter,  dated  at  New  York  on  the  27th  of  May,  he  thanks  Gen 
eral  Schuyler  and  his  wife  for  their  attention  to  his  comforts;  and  is 
glad  that  he  did  not  pursue  his  original  intention  of  taking  the  general's 
sulky  and  driving  over  the  stones  and  gullies,  in  which  he  should  proba 
bly  have  overset  and  broken  his  bones. 

In  a  letter  of  the  same  date,  "to  the  Commissioners  in  Canada,"  he 
informs  his  friends  of  his  arrival,  and  rather  petulantly  says  that  they 
''left  Mrs.  Walker  with  her  husband  at  Albany,  from  whence  we  came 
down  by  land.  We  passed  him  on  Lake  Champlain  ;  but  he,  returning, 
overtook  us  at  Saratoga,  when  they  both  took  such  liberties  in  taunting  at 
our  conduct  in.  Canada,  tJtat  it  came  almost  to  a  quarrel.  We  continued 
our  care  of  her,  however,  and  landed  her  safe  in  Albany,  with  her  three 
wagon  loads  of  baggage,  brought  thither  without  putting  her  to  any  ex 
pense,  and  parted  civilly  though  coldly.  I  think  they  both  have  an  excel 
lent  talent  at  making  themselves  enemies,  and  I  believe,  live  where  they 
will,  they  will  never  be  long  without  than."  The  Walkers  are  probably 
the  family  alluded  to  in  tho  journal  on  the  29th  of  May. —  Works  of 
Franklin,  vol.  i,  p.  404,  and  vol.  viii,  pp.  182,  183,  Sparks's  edition. 


94  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

12th.  We  set  off  from  Montreal  to  go  to  La 
Prairie.  Mr.  John  Carroll  went  to  join  Dr. 
Franklin  at  St.  John's,  from  whence  they  sailed 
the  13th.1 

13th.  I  went  to  St.  John's  to  examine  into 
the  state  of  that  garrison,  and  of  the  batteaux. 
There  I  met  with  General  Thompson  and  Colonel 
Sinclair,  with  part  of  Thompson's  brigade.  That 
evening  I  went  with  them  down  the  Sorel  to 
Chamblay.  Major  Wood  and  myself  remained 
in  the  boat  when  we  got  to  St.  Therese,  where 
the  rapids  begin  and  continue,  with  some  inter 
ruptions,  to  Chamblay.  Flat  bottomed  boats  may 
go  down  these  rapids  in  the  spring  of  the  year, 
when  the  water  is  high;  —  even  a  large  gondola 
passed  down  them  this  spring;  but  it  would  be 
very  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  bring  a  gon 
dola  up  against  the  stream.  I  much  question 
whether  the  batteaux  could  be  brought  up;  cer 
tain  it  is  that  the  labor  of  towing  them  up,  or 
setting  them  up  the  current  with  setting  poles, 


1  Franklin  did  not  forget  the  kind  attentions  of  the  Rev.  John  Carroll 
during  this  journey;  nor  did  he  fail  to  appreciate  the  virtues  and  intel 
lectual  cultivation  of  that  excellent  clergyman.  The  following  extract 
from  the  doctor's  private  journal  at  Passy  in  1784,  shows  that  ho  thought 
of  him  constantly,  and  pressed  his  claims  for  the  highest  dignity  of  the 
church  in  our  confederacy. 

liJuly  1st,  (1784.) — The  pope's  nuncio  called,  and  acquainted  me  that 
the  pope  had,  on  my  recommendation,  appointed  Mr.  John  Carroll  supe 
rior  of  the  Catholic  clergy  in  America,  with  many  powers  of  bishop; 
and  that,  probably,  he  would  be  made  a  bishop,  in  partibus,  before  the 
end  of  the  year." — Sec  Works  of  Franklin,  vol.  i,  p.  581,  Sparks's  edition. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  95 

would  be  greater,  and  take  much  more  time, 
than  carting  them  over  the  carrying  place  from 
Chamblay  to  within  three  miles  of  St.  Therese. 
All  our  batteaux  which  shoot  the  rapids  and 
go  down  the  Sorel  to  Chamblay  and  that  are 
brought  up  again  to  St.  John's,  are  carted  over 
the  carrying  place  on  frames  constructed  for  the 
purpose.  It  was  proposed  by  some  to  bring  a 
gondola,  built  at  Chamblay,  over  land  three  miles 
into  the  Sorel,  three  miles  below  St.  Therese; 
others  were  of  opinion  it  could  be  more  easily 
towed  up  over  the  rapids.  ChamUay  fort  is  a 
large  square  stone  building,  with  square  towTers 
at  each  angle,  a  place  intended  only  as  a  protec 
tion  against  the  savages.  I  saw  the  holes  made 
by  a  six  pounder,  when  it  was  taken  by  Major 
Brown.  Major  Stafford  might  have  held  out 
against  the  force  which  besieged  him  at  least  for 
some  days,  in  which  time  he  would  probably 
have  been  relieved  by  Carleton.  But,  by  Carle- 
ton's  subsequent  behaviour,  when  he  made  an 
attempt  to  go  to  the  relief  of  St.  John's,  I 
much  question  whether  he  would  have  taken 
more  effectual  measures  to  rescue  Stafford.  The 
taking  of  Chamblay  occasioned  the  taking  of  St. 
John's;  against  the  latter  we  should  not  have 
succeeded  without  the  six  tons  of  gunpowder 
taken  in  the  former. 


96  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

14th.  I  returned  to  Montreal  by  La  Prairie; 
the  country  between  Cliamblay  and  La  Prairie 
is  extremely  fine  and  level,  abounding  with  most 
excellent  meadow-ground  as  you  approach  the  St. 
Lawrence,  with  rich  arable  land  round  about 
Cliamblay.  The  country  lying  between  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  the  Sorel  is  the  best  part  of 
Canada,  and  produces  the  most  and  best  wheat. 
In  the  year  1771  four  hundred  and  seventy-one 
thousand  bushels  of  wheat  were  exported  out  of 
Canada,  of  which  two-thirds,  it  is  computed,  were 
made  in  the  Sorel  district.1 

21st.  This  day  Mr.  Chase  set  off  with  me  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Sorel;  we  embarked  from 
Montreal  in  one  of  our  batteaux,  and  went  in 
it  as  far  as  the  point  of  land  on  the  north  shore 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  opposite  to  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  Island  of  Montreal;  here,  the 
wind  being  against  us,  we  took  post  and  travelled 
on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  as  low 
down  as  La  Nore,  where  we  got  into  a  canoe, 
and  were  paddled  down  and  across  the  St.  Law 
rence  to  our  camp  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel;— 
it  was  a  perfect  calm,  the  distance  is  computed 
at  nine  miles.  The  country  on  each  side  the  St. 


1  The  commissioners  wrote  to  congress  from  Montreal  on  the  8th  of 
May. — See  American  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  1237.  On  May  10th.  from  same 
place. — See  American  Archives,  vol.  vi,  p.  450.  And  again  on  the  IGth 
May.— Id.  p.  482. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  97 

Lawrence   is   level,  rich,    and   thickly   seated;   in 
deed,    so    thickly    seated,    that    the    houses    form 
almost   one   continued   row.      In   going   from   La 
Nore   to   the   mouth   of  the   Sorel,  we   passed   by 
Brown's    battery    (as    it    is    called),    although    it 
never   had   a    cannon    mounted    on   it.      To    this 
battery  without  cannon,  and  to  a  single  gondola, 
ten    or    twelve    vessels,    under    the    command    of 
Colonel    Prescott,    surrendered.       Major    Brown, 
when  the  vessels  came  near   to  his  battery,  sent 
an  officer  on  board   requesting   Prescott   to    send 
another  on  shore  to  view  his  works.     It  is  diffi 
cult   to    determine  which  was  greatest,  the  impu 
dence   of    Brown   in    demanding    a   surrender,    or 
the   cowardice   of  the   officer  who,  going   back   to 
Prescott,  represented  the  difficulty  of  passing  the 
battery  so  great  and  hazardous,  that  Prescott  and 
all   his    officsrs    chose   to    capitulate.      Brown   re 
quested    the    officer   Avho    went   on   shore   to   wait 
a  little  until  he  saw  the  two  thirty-two  pounders, 
which   were   within    a   half  a    mile,  coming   from 
Chamblay;  —  says   lie,  "If   you   should   chance   to 
escape  this  battery,  which  is  my  small  battery,  I 
have  a  grand  battery  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel, 
which  will  infallibly  sink  all  your  vessels."     His 
grand  battery  was  as  badly  provided  with  cannon 
as   his   little   battery,   for   not   a    single   gun   was 
mounted   on    either.      This    Prescott    treated   our 
prisoners  with  great  insolence  and  brutality.    His 
13 


98  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

behaviour  justifies  the  old  observation,  that  cow 
ards  are  generally  cruel.  We  found  the  dis 
cipline  of  our  camp  very  remiss,  and  every  thing 
in  confusion;  —  General  Thomas  had  but  lately 
resigned  the  command  to  Thompson,  by  whose 
activity  things  were  soon  put  on  a  better  footing. 
22d.  We  left  our  camp  and  travelled  by  land 
along  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Sorcl.  At  five  or 
six  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel  the  coun 
try  grows  rich,  and  continues  so  all  the  way  to 
Chamblay.  Xear  the  mouth  of  the  river  it  is 
very  sandy.  This  part  of  the  country  is  very 
populous,  the  villages  are  large  and  neat,  and 
joined  together  by  a  continued  range  of  single 
houses,  chiefly  farmers'  houses.  These  are  the 
rich  men  in  Canada:  the  seiynicurs  are  in  general 
poor.  They  were  constrained  by  the  ordinances 
of  the  king  of  France  to  lease  their  lands  for 
ever,  reserving  two  dollars  for  every  ninety  acres, 
and  some  other  trifling  perquisites,  as  tolls  for 
grinding  wheat;  the  tenants  being  obliged  to  have 
their  wheat  ground  at  their  sciynicnrs'  mills.  It 
is  conjectured  that  the  farmers  in  Canada  can 
not  be  possessed  of  less  than  a  million  sterling, 
in  specie; — they  hoard  up  their  money  to  portion 
their  children; — they  neither  let  it  out  at  interest, 
nor  expend  it  in  the  purchase  of  lands.  Before 
we  left  the  camp  we  ordered  a  detachment  up 
to  Montreal,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  De 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.  99 

Haas,  consisting  of  near  four  hundred  men,  to 
reinforce  General  Arnold,  and,  in  conjunction,  to 
drive  off  a  party  of  the  eighth  regiment,  who, 
with  three  hundred  and  fifty  savages,  and  some 
Canadians,  had  taken  our  post  at  the  Cedars, 
through  the  cowardice  of  Major  Butterfield,1  and 
had  advanced,  on  the  2oth  instant,  within  fifteen 
miles  of  Montreal. 

23d.  We  got  early  this  morning  to  Chamblay, 
where  we  found  all  things  in  much  confusion, 
extreme  disorder,  and  negligence,  our  credit  sunk, 
and  no  money  to  retrieve  it  with.  We  were 
obliged  to  pay  three  silver  dollars  for  the  car 
riage  of  three  barrels  of  gunpowder  from  Little 
Chamblay  river  to  Longueil,  the  officer  who  com 
manded  the  guard  not  having  a  single  shilling. 

24th.  Colonel  I)e  Haas's  detachment  got  into 
Montreal  this  evening;  the  (lav  before,  we  also 

O  '  *j 

arrived  there,  having  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence 
in  a  canoe  from  Longueil. 

25th.  In  the  evening  of  this  day  Colonel  DC 
Haas's  detachment  marched  out  of  Montreal  to 
join  General  Arnold  at  La  Chine;  they  were 

1  Arnold  had  left  Quebec  on  account  of  his  suffering-  from  a  severe 
wound,  but  more  probably  in  consequence  of  his  jealousy  and  discontent 
with  General  Woostor.  At  Montreal  he  was  again  in  command,  and, 
for  the  results  of  his  course  after  the  disaster  at  the  Cedars,  the  reader 
is  referred  to  his  life,  in  Sparks's  American  Biography,  vol.  iii,  p.  50, 
ct  seq. 

At  the  Cedars,  nearly  four  hundred  men  surrendered,  by  a  disgraceful 
capitulation,  and  a  hundred  more  were  barbarously  murdered  by  savages. 


100          JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

detained  from  want  of  many  necessaries,  which 
we  were  obliged  to  procure  for  them,  General 
Wooster  being  without  money,  or  pretending  to 
be  so.1  The  enemy,  hearing  from  our  enemies 
in  Montreal,  of  this  reinforcement,  had  retreated 
precipitately  to  Fort  St.  Anne's,  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  Island  of  Montreal,  and  from 
'thence  had  crossed  over  to  Quinze  Chicns,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

20 tli.    We    left    Montreal    this    day    at    three 
o'clock,2  to   go  to   Chamblay,  to  be  present  at  a 

1  In  a  letter  from  the  Commissioners  to  Congress,  dated  at  Montreal 
on  the  27th  May,  '70,  they  deal  with  General  Wooster  in  unmeasured 
terms.     "General  Thomas,"  they  say,  "is  now  at  Chamblay  under  the 
small-pox.     Being  taken  with  that  disorder,  he  left  the  camp  at  Sorel, 
and  wrote  to  General  "Wooster  to  come  and  take  command.     When  the 
interest  of  our  country  and  the  safety  of  your  army  are  at  stake,  we 
think  it  very  improper  to  conceal  our  sentiments,  either  with  regard  to 
persons  or  things.      General  Wooster  is,  in  our  opinion,  unfit — totally 
unfit — to  command  your  army  and  conduct  the  war.    We  have,  hitherto, 
prevailed  on  him  to  remain  in  Montreal.      His  stay  in  this  colony  is 
unnecessary,  and  even  prejudicial  to  our  affairs.     We  would  therefore 
humbly  advise  his  recall." — MS.  letter  in  the  State  department  at  Wash 
ington.    It  is  published  by  Mr.  Force  in  the  sixth  volume  of  the  American 
Archives,  at  p.  589. 

Wooster  requested  an  inquiry  into  his  conduct  as  commander  of  the 
forces  in  Canada.  The  matter  was  referred  by  congress  to  a  committee, 
which,  upon  full  investigation,  declared  that  nothing  censurable  appeared 
against  him. — Sec  Journals  of  Congress,  August  17th,  1776.  He  resigned 
his  commission  in  the  continental  army,  and  was  appointed  first  major- 
general  of  the  Connecticut  militia. —  Sec  Sparks' 's  Life  and  Writings  of 
Washington,  vol.  iii,  p.  412,  in  note. 

Wooster  was  killed  in  1777,  in  a  spirited  action  between  the  Con 
necticut  troops  and  the  English  force  under  Governor  Try  on,  near 
Danbury. 

2  See  letter  from  the  Commissioners  to  Congress,  dated  27  May,  177G, 
in  the  sixth  volume  of  American  Archives,  p.  590.     This  is  their  last 
letter    from   Canada,  and    is    very  valuable,  as    containing   a   very   full 
report  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  that  province,  and  the  condition  of  the 
army.     It  has  been  freely  extracted  from  in  the  introductory  memoir. 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES^CARBOEIV  -      ;  101 


council  of  war  of  the  generals  and  field-officers, 
for  concerting  the  operations  of  the  campaign. 

30th.  The  council  of  war  was  held  this  day, 
and  determined  to  maintain  possession  of  the 
country  between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Sorel,  if 
possible; — in  the  meantime  to  dispose  matters  so 
as  to  make  an  orderly  retreat  out  of  Canada. 

31st.  Set  off  from  Chamblay  for  St.  John's;— 
all  things  there  in  confusion: — slept  at  Mrs. 
Donaho's. 

Jane  1st.  Crossed  over  this  morning  to  St. 
John's,  where  General  Sullivan,  with  fourteen 
hundred  men,  had  arrived  in  the  night  of  the 
31st  past;  saw  them  all  under  arms.  It  began 
to  rain  at  nine  o'clock,  and  continued  raining 
very  hard  until  late  in  the  evening; — slept  at 
Donaho's. 

2d.  Crossed  over  again  to  the  camp;  took  leave 
of  General  Sullivan,  and  sailed  from  St.  John's 
at  six  this  morning,  with  a  fair  wind; — got  to 
Point  an  Fer  at  one  o'clock; — got  to  Cumberland 
head  about  seven  o'clock,  P.  M.;  set  off  from 
thence  about  nine,  and  rowed  all  night.  We 
divided  our  boat's  crew  into  two  watches. 

3d.  Breakfasted  at  Willsborough;  rowed  on 
and  received  despatches  by  Major  Ilickes;  got 
to  Crown  Point  half-past  six  o'clock,  P.  M.  Set 
off  at  eight,  rowed  all  night,  and  arrived  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  night  at  Ticonderoga,  where  we 
found  General  Schuvler. 


CHAELES  CARROLL. 


4th.  Set  off  tliis  morning  at  five  with  General 
Scliuyler,  for  Skeencsborough,  and  got  there  by 
two  o'clock.  The  lake,  as  you  approach  Skeenes 
borough,  grows  narrower  and  shallower;  indeed, 
within  five  or  six  miles  of  Skcenesborough,  it  has 
all  the  appearance  of  a  river.  We  hauled  our 
batteau  over  the  carrying  place  at  Skeencsbo 
rough  into  Wood  creek.  This  carrying  place  is 
not  above  three  hundred  feet  across;  a  lock  may 
ba  made  for  two  hundred  pounds  at  Skeenes 
borough,  by  which  means  a  continued  naviga 
tion  would  bo  effected  for  batteaux  from  one 
Chesshire's  into  Lake  Champlain.  Major  Skeene 
has  built  a  saw-mill,  grist  mill,  and  a  forge  at 
the  entrance  of  Wood  creek  into  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  Set  off  from  Skeenesborough  at  four 
o'clock,  rowed  up  Wood  creek  ten  miles,  to  one 
Boyle's,  here  we  lay  all  night  on  board  our  boat. 

5th.  Set  off  at  three  in  the  morning,  and  con 
tinued  rowing  up  the  creek  to  one  Chesshire's. 
This  man  lives  near  Fort  Ann,  built  by  Governor 
Nicholson  in  1709.  The  distance  from  Skeenes 
borough  to  Chesshire's,  is  twenty-two  miles, — by 
land,  fourteen  only;  from  this  it  appears  that 
Wood  creek  has  many  windings,  in  fact,  I  never 
saw  a  more  serpentine  river.  The  navigation  is 
somewhat  obstructed  by  trees  drifted  and  piled 
across  the  creek;  however,  WTC  met  with  little 
difficulty  but  in  one  place,  where  we  were  obliged 


JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL.          103 

to  quit  our  boat,  and  carry  it  through  a  narrow 
gut,  which  was  soon  performed  by  our  crew. 
Two  hundred  men  would  clear  this  creek  and 
remove  every  obstruction  in  six  days'  time.  This 
measure  has  been  recommended  by  the  commis 
sioners  to  congress,  and  congress  has  complied 
with  the  recommendation,  and  orders  will  soon 
be  given  to  General  Schuyler  to  clear  it,  and 
render  the  navigation  easy. 

I  set  off  with  General  Schuyler,  on  foot,  from 
Chesshire's,  at  one  o'clock;  walked  seven  miles, 
and  then  met  horses  coming  from  Jones's  to 
us.  Jones's  house  is  distant  nine  miles  from 
Chesshire's.  We  dined  at  Jones's,  and  rode, 
after  dinner,  to  Fort  Edward;  —  the  distance  is 
computed  four  miles  ;  —  Mr.  Chase  joined  us 
this  evening.  lie  took  the  lower  road  and  was 
obliged  to  walk  part  of  the  way. 

.  Parted  with   General  Schuler   this   morn 


ing;  he  returned  to  Fort  George  on  Lake  George. 
We  rode  to  Saratoga,  where  we  got  by  seven 
o'clock,  but  did  not  find  the  amiable  family  at 
home.  We  were  constrained  to  remain  here  all 
this  day,  waiting  the  arrival  of  our  servants 
and  baggage. 

oo     o 

7  tli.  Our  servants  and  baggage  being  come  up, 
we  left  Saratoga  this  morning  at  nine;  took  boat 

~  O  ' 

and  went  down  Hudson's  river,  through  all  the 
rapids,  to  Albany.  The  distance  is  computed 


104          JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL. 

thirty-six  miles.  We  arrived  at  Albany  half  an 
hour  past  five.  At  six  o'clock  we  set  off  for  Kew 
York  in  a  sloop:  which  we  luckily  found  ready 
to  sail;  got  that  evening  and  night  twenty-four 
miles  from  Albany. 

Sth.  Found  ourselves,  this  morning,  twenty-four 
miles  from  Albany; — at  seven  in  the  morning 
wind  breezed  up,  had  a  fine  gale,  and  got  belowr 
the  highlands; — a  very  great  run. 

Oth.  Arrived  at  K"ew  York  at  one  o'clock,  P.M.; 
Waited  on  General  Washington  at  Motier's;— 
saw  Generals  Gates  and  Putnam,  and  my  old 
acquaintance  and  friend,  Mr.  Moylan.  About 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening  got  into  General  Wash 
ington's  barge,  in  company  with  Lord  Stirling,1 
and  was  rowed  round  by  Statcn  Island  and  the 
Kilns,  within  two  miles  of  Elizabeth-town,  where 
we  got  by  ten  at  night. 

10th.  Set  off  from  Elizabeth-town  half-past  five. 
Got  to  Bristol  at  eight  o'clock,  P.  M.: — at  nine, 
embarked  in  our  boats,  and  were  rowed  down 
the  Delaware  to  Philadelphia,  where  we  arrived 
at  two  o'clock  in  the  night. 


1  Lord  Stirling  was  a  brigadier-general  in  tlio  American  army,  and 
stationed  at  New  York,  where  he  had  command  for  a  short  time,  after 
the  departure  of  General  Leo. — Seo  Washington's  Writings,  vol.  iii,  p. 
318;  and  Franklin's  Writings,  vol.  viii,  p.  180,  note,  (Spwks's  Edition.} 
On  the  27th  of  March,  1776,  Franklin  had  apprised  him  by  letter  of  the 
proposed  journey  to  Canada,  and  desired  him  to  procure  lodgings  for  the 
party  in  New  York,  as  well  as  to  engage  a  sloop  to  hike  them  up  the  river 
to  Albany. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHIC  SKETCH 


OF 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


On  the  28th  of  July,  1816,  Mr.  Joseph  Delaplaine,  editor  and 
publisher  at  that  time  of  "  The  Repository,"  wrote  to  Mr.  Carroll 
thanking  him  for  his  consent  to  sit  to  Mr.  King,  the  artist,  for  a 
portrait  which  Mr.  Delaplaine  desired  to  have.  At  the  conclu 
sion  of  his  letter,  which  fills  the  first  side  of  a  quarto  sheet,  the 
writer  adds:  "I  beg  you,  Sir,  to  furnish  me  with  a  few  facts  of 
your  Life — Birth — Parentage — Education — Offices — Profession — 
Correspondence  with  General  Washington,  and  any  facts  you 
may  be  pleased  to  furnish." 

On  the  receipt  of  this,  Mr.  Carroll,  then  near  entering  on  his 
eightieth  year, — turned  over  the  first  page  of  this  letter,  and  on 
the  two  inner  pages,  set  down,  in  a  clear  but  slightly  trembling 
hand,  the  following  draft,  which  is  preserved  in  my  collection  of 
Letters  of  the  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 


14  105 


106  AUTOBIOGRAPHIC  SKETCH. 


"  DOUGIIORAGAN,  21  Aug.,  1816. 
"Sir: 

"I  received  this  day  your  letter  of  the  28th  past,  and  the  first 
half  volume  of  your  Repository,  for  which  I  hope  my  agent  Mr. 
James  Neilson,  in  Baltimore,  has  accounted  with  your  agent  Mr. 
ririlson.  My  letter  of  6th  instant  in  answer  to  Mr.  King's  of  the 
29th  July,  informed  him  I  should  be  in  Baltimore  about  the  20th 
December  and  remain  there  during  the  winter,  when  I  will  sit  to 
him  for  my  portrait  at  any  place  in  that  city  he  may  appoint. 

"I  was  born  at  Annapolis  in  September,  1737;  on  the  19th  of 
next  month  I  shall  enter  into  my  80th  year.  I  was  sent  by  my 
father  when  about  11  years  of  age  to  St.  Omer's  for  my  educa 
tion,  where  I  remained  about  G  years ;  from  thence  I  went,  by  his 
direction,  to  a  College  at  Rheims,  and  after  remaining  at  that 
College  a  year,  I  went  to  the  College  of  Louis  le  Grand  at  Paris; 
in  all  of  these  Colleges  the  students  were  taught  by  the  Jesuites. 

"In  1758  or  1759,  I  went  to  England  and  studied  law  in  the 
Inner  Temple  3  or  4  years,  not  with  a  professional  view ;  and 
returned  to  my  native  country  in  1765,  after  an  absence  of  about 
18  years. 

"  On  the  breaking  out  of  our  revolution  I  took  a  decided  part 
in  support  of  the  rights  of  this  country ;  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Committee  of  Safety  established  by  the  legislature;  was  a 
member  of  the  Convention  which  formed  the  constitution  of  this 
State.  The  journals  of  Congress  will  show  how  long  I  was  a 
member  of  that  body  during  the  revolution. 

"With  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Samuel  Chase,  I  was  appointed 
a  Commissioner  to  Canada.  I  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Senate  at  the  first  session  of  Congress  under  the  present  Con- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHIC  SKETCH.  107 

federation: — though  well  acquainted  with  General  Washington, 
—  and  I  flatter  myself  in  his  confidence,  —  few  letters  passed 
between  us ;  one,  having  reference  to  the  opposition  made  to  the 
Treaty  concluded  by  Mr.  Jay,  has  been  repeatedly  published  in 
the  newspapers,  and  perhaps  you  may  have  seen  it ;  that  letter 
is  no  longer  in  my  possession. 

"  My  Grandfather  came  to  Maryland  in  the  year  preceding  the 
revolution  in  England,  terminated  by  the  dethronement  of  James 
the  Second.  My  mother  was  daughter  of  Mr.  Clement  Brooke, 
a  gentleman  of  respectable  family  in  Prince  George's  County. — 
I  have  given  you,  Sir,  in  compliance  with  your  request,  all  the 
incidents  of  my  public  life  and  of  my  education,  and  remain,  with 
respect, 

"Yr  most  hum:  Serv' 
"  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTOX." 

The  letter  from  Mr.  Delaplaine  before  referred  to,  on  the  inner 
pages  of  which  the  above  was  written,  is  endorsed  in  Mr.  Car 
roll's  handwriting: 

"1816:  August  28 
"Joseph  Delaplaine's  Letter: 
"received  the  21  August  and  answered  same  day: 
"see  my  answer  within." 

This  particularity  is  interesting  as  showing  the  promptness 
with  which  Mr.  Carroll  always  attended  to  business,  and  espe 
cially  to  his  correspondence,  many  specimens  of  which  arc  in  my 
possession.  Another  interesting  biographical  scrap  in  my  col 
lection,  is  contained  in  an  envelops  endorsed  by  Mr.  Carroll's 


108  AUTOBIOGRAPHIC  SKETCH. 

father:  "A   Character   of  my  Son:    By  Mr.  Jenison   his    Mas 
ter;"  beneath  which  the  modest  son  has  written: 

"I  fear  this  letter  was  dictated  by  Mr.  Jenison's  partiality  to 
me.  I  never  found  till  this  day  (27th  July,  1782)  that  he  ever 
wrote  to  my  Father  about  me." 

The  character  is  as  follows : 

"  Tho'  I  am  not  in  a  disposition  of  Writing  Letters,  having  lost 
this  morning  the  finest  young  man,  in  every  respect,  that  ever 
enter'd  the  House,  you  will,  perhaps,  afterwards,  have  the  plea 
sure  of  assuring  yourself  by  experience  that  I've  not  exaggerated 
Charles  Carroll's  character  in  the  foregoing  lines.  The  Captain 
will  be  able  to  give  you,  I  hope,  a  satisfactory  account  of  him. 
'Tis  very  natural  I  should  regret  the  loss  of  one  who  during 
the  whole  time  he  was  under  my  care,  never  deserv'd,  on  any 
account,  a  single  harsh  word,  and  whose  sweet  temper  rendered 
him  equally  agreeable  both  to  equals  and  superiors,  without 
ever  making  him  degenerate  into  the  mean  character  of  a 
favorite  which  he  always  justly  despis'd.  His  application  to 
his  Book  and  Devotions  was  constant  and  unchangeable,  nor 
could  we  perceive  the  least  difference  in  his  conduct  even  after 
having  read  the  news  of  his  destination,  which,  you  know,  is 
very  usual  with  young  people  here.  This  short  character  I  owe 
to  his  deserts; — prejudice,  I  am  convinc'd,  has  no  share  in  it,  as 
I  find  the  public  voice  confirms  my  private  sentiments.  Both 
inclination  and  justice  prompt  me  to  say  more,  yet  I  rather 
chuse  to  leave  the  rest  to  Captain  Carroll  to  inform  you  of  by 
word  of  mouth." 

BRANTZ  MAYER, 

EDITOR. 


LETTER  FROM  REV'D  JOHN  CARROLL 

(AFTERWARDS  ARCHBISHOP  or  BALTIMORE) 

TO   CHARLES   CARROLL,   ESQ., 

FATHER  or  CHARLES  CARROLL  or  CARROLLTOX. 


"  PHILADELPHIA,  Jane  2d,  1770. 

"Hon*  Dr  Sr 

"  I  arrived  at  this  place  the  day  before  yesterday  in  company 
with  Dr.  Franklin.  Cousin  Charles  and  Mr.  Chace  left  Montreal 
with  me  on  the  12th  of  May,  that  they  might  not  be  in  any  danger 
from  a  frigate  running  up  the  River  and  getting  between  them 
and  the  Eastern  shore  of  S.  Lawrence.  As  Dr.  Franklin  deter 
mined  to  return  to  Philadelphia,  on  account  of  his  health,  I 
resolved  to  accompany  him,  seeing  it  was  out  of  my  power  to 
be  of  any  service  after  the  Commissioners  had  thought  it  advisa 
ble  for  them  to  leave  Montreal.  Your  Son  and  Mr.  Chace  pro 
posed  staying  at  S.  John's  or  in  that  neighbourhood,  till  they 
should  know  whether  our  army  would  keep  post  at  De  Cham- 
beau;  arid  the  former  desired  me  to  give  you  notice  of  his  being 
safe  and  well.  Since  I  left  him  it  has  not  been  in  my  power  to 
do  it  before  this  day,  as  we  unfortunately  chanced  to  come  to 
every  post  town  on  our  road  sometimes  a  day,  sometimes  a  few 
hours  too  late  for  the  mail.  When  I  left  him  he  expected  to 

109 


110       LETTER  FROM  REV.  JOHX  CARROLL. 

follow  us  in  a  few  days:  but  Mr.  Hancock  tells  me  that  if  an 
express  sent  some  days  since  from  Congress,  reaches  them  before 
they  have  left  Canada,  he  is  of  opinion  they  will  continue  there 
for  some  time.  I  shall  set  out  from  hence,  next  week  and  pro 
pose  doing  myself  the  pleasure  of  calling  at  Elk-ridge.  My  affte 
and  respectful  cornpl'3  to  Mrs.  Darnall  and  Carroll  with  love  to 
Policy.  Nothing  new  from  Canada,  nor  indeed  any  advices  at  all 
since  we  left  it.  Great  divisions  here  between  the  contending 
parties.  I  have  presumed  to  trouble  you  to  forward  the  inclosed 
and  remain 

"HondDr  Sr 
"  Yr  affts  kinsman  and  hum  Sev1 

"J.  CARROLL." 

"Ten  tons  of  powder, 

"500  small  arms  came  in  yesterday. 

"Cos"  Charles  reced  large  packets  of  letters  from  you  a  few 
days  before  we  left  Montreal." 

"  To  Charles  Carroll  Senr  Esqre 

"  to  the  care  of  Mr  Wm  Lux 

"  Baltimore 
"free  J.  Carroll.'" 

1  Original  MS.  in  the  Archives  of  the  Maryland  Historical  Society. 


14  D.AV 


14  DAY  USE 

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